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强大 (qiáng dà) — powerful; strong; formidable

Definition

Means 'powerful' in the sense of having great strength or force — a country, team, army, or ability. Broader and more imposing than 强, and stronger than 有力, which is more about physical force or an effective action.

adjective
powerfulstrongformidable

Examples

  • 强大。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de jīng jì yuè lái yuè qiáng dà.
    This country's economy is getting stronger and stronger.
  • 强大。
    Wǒ men xū yào yì qiáng dà de hé zuò huǒ bàn.
    We need a strong partner.
  • 强大。
    Zhè zhī qiú duì de fáng shǒu fēi cháng qiáng dà.
    This team's defense is very strong.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

强qiángstrong
大dàlarge

The word joins 强, 'strong', and 大, 'large', for great power.

Characters in this word

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 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

Open 强 →

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 →
Appears in
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