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大块头 (dà kuài tóu) — a big, stout person (informal, often derogatory)

Definition

Informal noun for a big, heavily-built person — can be neutral ('big guy,' e.g. in a sports team) or teasing/rude depending on tone. Often derogatory when used to someone's face.

noun
a bigstout person (informal, often derogatory)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 大块头，。
    Nà ge dà kuài tóu zhàn zài mén kǒu, bié rén dōu jìn bú qù.
    That big guy was standing in the doorway, so no one else could get in.
  • 大块头，。
    Bié jiào tā dà kuài tóu, zhè yàng bù lǐ mào.
    Don't call him 'big guy' — that's rude.
  • 大块头，。
    Wǒ men duì lǐ yǒu liǎng gè dà kuài tóu, dǎ lán qiú hěn yǒu yōu shì.
    Our team has two big guys, which gives us a big advantage in basketball.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

大dàbig
块头build
块kuàilump头tóu
后缀Suffix

大 means big and 块头 means build, so the word pictures someone with a big build.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 塊; 块 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth; dust
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬼
鬼guǐ塊kuài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 塊 pairs 土 (earth; dust) with 鬼 as a sound part to show a clod of dirt. The simplified 块 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 块 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →
Appears in
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