大都

• Pinyin: dà dū
• Hanzi breakdown: 大 (big, great) + 都 (all)

Meaning

Mostly; for the most part; generally.

An adverb indicating that something is true in most cases or for the majority. Similar to 大多数 but used adverbially. Often followed by 是 when used before nouns.

Examples

1. 他的朋友大都是大学同学。 Most of his friends are college classmates.
2. 这些问题大都可以通过沟通解决。 Most of these problems can be solved through communication.
3. 年轻人大都喜欢用社交媒体。 Young people mostly enjoy using social media.

Usage Guide

Context: generalizations, statistics, observations

Tone: objective

Do Say

• 他们大都同意这个方案。(Most of them agree with this plan.)
• 这些产品大都是进口的。(Most of these products are imported.)

Don't Say

• 说'大都全部'是重复表达——大都本身已经表示大部分，不需要加'全部' (Saying 大都全部 is redundant — 大都 already means most, no need for 全部)

Origin & History

Compound of 大 (big, great) + 都 (all), meaning the greater part or majority.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal