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绝大多数 (jué dà duō shù) — vast majority, overwhelming majority

Definition

noun
vast majorityoverwhelming majority

Examples

  • ，绝大多数。
    Zhè cì xuǎn jǔ zhōng, jué dà duō shù xuǎn mín zhī chí le gǎi gé fāng àn.
    In this election, the vast majority of voters supported the reform plan.
  • 绝大多数。
    jué dà duō shù Kē xué jiā rèn wéi qì hòu biàn huà shì rén wéi zào chéng de.
    The overwhelming majority of scientists believe climate change is caused by human activity.
  • ，绝大多数。
    Zài shòu fǎng zhě zhōng, jué dà duō shù biǎo shì bù mǎn yì mù qián de jiāo tōng zhuàng kuàng.
    Among the respondents, the vast majority expressed dissatisfaction with the current traffic situation.

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.

绝大extremely large
绝juéextremely大dàlarge
偏正Modifier + head
多数majority
多duōmany数shùnumber
偏正Modifier + head

绝大 (extremely large) + 多数 (many in number) gives the vast majority.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →

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 →

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

Open 多 →

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 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu數shù(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

Open 数 →
Appears in
Quantity & Amount

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