大字报 (dà zì bào) — big-character poster (a form of public protest or propaganda in Mao-era China)

Definition

Large handwritten poster used for public accusations or political propaganda, especially during the Cultural Revolution. Today the term is used figuratively to mean a public, scathing denunciation.

noun
big-character poster (a form of public protest or propaganda in Mao-era China)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • ，大字报。
    Wén huà dà gé mìng qī jiān, dà zì bào shì yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de zhèng zhì xuān chuán fāng shì.
    During the Cultural Revolution, big-character posters were a common form of political propaganda.
  • ，。
    Tā zài qiáng shàng tiē le yì zhāng dà zì bào, pī píng le dāng shí de zhèng cè.
    He pasted a big-character poster on the wall, criticizing the policies of the time.
  • 大字报，。
    Xiàn zài hěn shǎo jiàn dào dà zì bào le, dàn zhè ge cí réng rán yòng lái xíng róng gōng kāi de zhǐ zé.
    Big-character posters are rarely seen now, but the term is still used to describe public accusations.

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.

大字large characters
大dàlarge字zìcharacter
偏正Modifier + head
报bàoposter

The 大字 (large characters) describe the 报 poster used for public notices.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
子
子zǐ字zì
Same sound today

字 pairs 宀 (roof) with 子 (child); 子 gives the sound, while 宀 relates to the meaning.

Open 字 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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