巨大

• Pinyin: jù dà
• Hanzi breakdown: 巨 = carpenter's square shape (large scale); 大 = a person with arms spread wide (big) — enormous scale

Meaning

Huge; enormous; tremendous. Describes something of exceptional size, scale, or degree.

Used widely as an attributive adjective to modify nouns — it can describe physical size (巨大的建筑), abstract scale (巨大的影响), or emotional magnitude (巨大的压力). More emphatic than 大 alone; often appears in formal writing and news reports.

Examples

1. 这次地震造成了巨大的损失。 This earthquake caused enormous losses.
2. 他在事业上取得了巨大的成功。 He has achieved tremendous success in his career.
3. 城市的变化真的巨大，让我认不出来了。 The changes in the city are truly enormous — I can't recognise it any more.

Usage Guide

Context: formal writing, news, everyday description

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 这个项目需要巨大的投入。(This project requires enormous investment.)
• 她承受着巨大的压力。(She is under tremendous pressure.)

Don't Say

• 这块饼干巨大 (While not incorrect, 巨大 sounds overly formal for trivial objects — prefer 很大 or 大得很 in casual speech)

Origin & History

A compound of 巨 (huge, originally depicting a carpenter's square suggesting great scale) and 大 (big), together intensifying the sense of enormousness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal