增大

• Pinyin: zēng dà
• Hanzi breakdown: 增 = increase; 大 = big/large

Meaning

To increase in size; to enlarge; to grow bigger. Making or becoming larger.

Used for physical size, scale, or degree. Different from 增加 (which focuses on quantity). Common contexts: 压力增大 (pressure increases), 难度增大 (difficulty increases), 规模增大 (scale expands).

Examples

1. 随着业务发展，公司的规模不断增大。 As the business develops, the company's scale continues to expand.
2. 气温升高会使海平面增大。 Rising temperatures will cause sea levels to rise.
3. 工作压力增大影响了他的健康。 Increased work pressure has affected his health.

Usage Guide

Context: science, business, measurement

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 风险增大了。(The risk has increased.)
• 字体可以增大吗？(Can the font size be increased?)

Don't Say

• 增大人 (Don't use for increasing number of people — say 增加人数)

Origin & History

Compound of 增 (increase) and 大 (big). To increase in size.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal