大人

Etymology 1

More information big; great; hugebig; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor, man; person; people ...

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): dàrén

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): дажын (dařɨn, III-I)
Cantonese (Jyutping): daai⁶ jan⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): thai-ngìn

(Hailu, HRS): tai^˖ ngin
Eastern Min (BUC): duâi-nè̤ng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): tōa-lâng

(Teochew, Peng'im): dua⁷ nang⁵
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶du-gnin₆

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dàrén → dàren (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ → ㄉㄚˋ ˙ㄖㄣ (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dàre̊n
  - Wade–Giles: ta⁴-jên⁵
  - Yale: dà-ren
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dah.ren
  - Palladius: дажэнь (dažɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/ → /tä⁵¹ ʐən¹/
  - Homophones:
    More information [Show/Hide] ...
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    大人
    大仁
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- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: дажын (dařɨn, III-I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ta⁴⁴ ʐəŋ²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)
  - Jyutping: daai⁶ jan⁴
  - Yale: daaih yàhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: daai⁶ jan⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: dai⁶ yen⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /taːi̯²² jɐn²¹/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    大人
    大仁
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: thai-ngìn
  - Hakka Romanization System: tai ngin^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: tai⁴ ngin²
  - Sinological IPA: /tʰai̯⁵⁵ ŋin¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: tai^˖ ngin
  - Sinological IPA: /tʰai³³ ŋin⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: duâi-nè̤ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tuai²⁴²⁻⁵⁵ nˡøyŋ⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tōa-lâng
  - Tâi-lô: tuā-lâng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: doaxlaang
  - IPA (Xiamen): /tua²²⁻²¹ laŋ²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /tua⁴¹⁻²² laŋ²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /tua²²⁻²¹ laŋ¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /tua³³⁻¹¹ laŋ²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /tua³³⁻²¹ laŋ²³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: dua⁷ nang⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tuā nâng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tua¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶du-gnin₆
  - MiniDict: du^去 nyin^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³du-nyin₃
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /du²² n̠ʲin⁴⁴/

Noun

大人

adult; grown-up
萬聖節裝扮不是大人的專利，那些拍門討糖果的小孩裝扮也可以十分出色！ [MSC, trad.]
万圣节装扮不是大人的专利，那些拍门讨糖果的小孩装扮也可以十分出色！ [MSC, simp.]
Wànshèngjié zhuāngbàn bùshì dàrén de zhuānlì, nàxiē pāi mén tǎo tángguǒ de xiǎohái zhuāngbàn yě kěyǐ shífēn chūsè! [Pinyin]
Halloween costumes are not just for adults - the costumes of children who ask for candy can also be extraordinary!

轉大人 [Hokkien, trad.]
转大人 [Hokkien, simp.]
tńg tōa-lâng [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]
to grow up into an adult

Synonyms

edit

成人 (chéngrén)
成年人 (chéngniánrén)
成年者 (chéngniánzhě)

Antonyms

edit

囡仔人 (Hokkien)
少年 (shàonián)
少年人
少年家
少年的
後生 / 后生 (hòushēng)
後生人 / 后生人
後生家 / 后生家
未成年人 (wèichéngniánrén)
未成年者 (wèichéngniánzhě)

Etymology 2

More information big; great; hugebig; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor, man; person; people ...

address towards Japanese officials; "police officer": Borrowed from Japanese 大人 (taijin), from Chinese 大人 (dàrén).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): dàrén

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): дажын (dařɨn, III-I)
Cantonese (Jyutping): daai⁶ jan⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): thai-ngìn

(Hailu, HRS): tai^˖ ngin
Eastern Min (BUC): duâi-ìng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): tāi-lîn / tāi-jîn

(Teochew, Peng'im): dua⁷ nang⁵ / dai⁶ ring⁵
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶da-zen₆

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dàrén → dàren (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄚˋ ㄖㄣˊ → ㄉㄚˋ ˙ㄖㄣ (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dàre̊n
  - Wade–Giles: ta⁴-jên⁵
  - Yale: dà-ren
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dah.ren
  - Palladius: дажэнь (dažɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tä⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/ → /tä⁵¹ ʐən¹/
  - Homophones:
    More information [Show/Hide] ...
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    大人
    大仁
    Close
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: дажын (dařɨn, III-I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ta⁴⁴ ʐəŋ²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)
  - Jyutping: daai⁶ jan⁴
  - Yale: daaih yàhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: daai⁶ jan⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: dai⁶ yen⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /taːi̯²² jɐn²¹/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    大人
    大仁
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: thai-ngìn
  - Hakka Romanization System: tai ngin^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: tai⁴ ngin²
  - Sinological IPA: /tʰai̯⁵⁵ ŋin¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: tai^˖ ngin
  - Sinological IPA: /tʰai³³ ŋin⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: duâi-ìng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tuai²⁴²⁻⁵⁵ iŋ⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tāi-lîn
  - Tâi-lô: tāi-lîn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: daixliin
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /tai⁴¹⁻²² lin²⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Singapore): /tai²²⁻²¹ lin²⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /tai³³⁻¹¹ lin²⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tāi-jîn
  - Tâi-lô: tāi-jîn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: daixjiin
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /tai³³⁻²¹ zin²³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /tai²²⁻²¹ d͡zin¹³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: dua⁷ nang⁵ / dai⁶ ring⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tuā nâng / tăi jîng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tua¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵/, /tai³⁵⁻¹¹ d͡ziŋ⁵⁵/

Note: dai6 ring5 - address towards Japanese officials.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶da-zen₆
  - MiniDict: da^去 zen^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³da-zen₃
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /da²² zən⁴⁴/

Middle Chinese: dajH|daH nyin

More information Rime, Character ...

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*lˤat-s|lˤa[t]-s ni[ŋ]/

(Zhengzhang): /*daːds njin/

More information Character, Reading # ...

More information Zhengzhang system (2003), Character ...

Noun

大人

(archaic) person of high rank (such as a ruler or noble)
Antonym: 小人 (xiǎorén)
- 孟子曰：「說大人，則藐之，勿視其巍巍然。……」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
  孟子曰：「说大人，则藐之，勿视其巍巍然。……」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
  From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE
  Mèngzǐ yuē: “Shuō dàrén, zé miǎo zhī, wù shì qí wēiwēi rán.......” [Pinyin]
  Mencius said, "When one counsels a powerful man one must view him as very small and ignore his grandeur. [...]"
- 故兼者聖王之道也，王公大人之所以安也，萬民衣食之所以足也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
  故兼者圣王之道也，王公大人之所以安也，万民衣食之所以足也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
  From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on Y. P. Mei's version
  Gù jiān zhě shèngwáng zhī dào yě, wánggōngdàrén zhī suǒyǐ ān yě, wànmín yīshí zhī suǒyǐ zú yě. [Pinyin]
  Therefore, inclusivity is really the way of the sage-kings. It is what gives peace to the kings, nobles, and magnates and sustenance to the people.
- 段公，仁信大人也，而汝不知敬。今段公唯一馬，賤賣市穀入汝，汝取之不恥。凡為人傲天災、犯大人、擊無罪者，又取仁者穀，使主人出無馬，汝將何以視天地，尚不媿奴隸耶！ [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  段公，仁信大人也，而汝不知敬。今段公唯一马，贱卖市谷入汝，汝取之不耻。凡为人傲天灾、犯大人、击无罪者，又取仁者谷，使主人出无马，汝将何以视天地，尚不愧奴隶耶！ [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: 814, 柳宗元 (Liu Zongyuan),《段太尉逸事狀》, translation based on Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang
  Duàn gōng, rénxìn dàrén yě, ér rǔ bùzhī jìng. Jīn Duàn gōng wéi yī mǎ, jiànmài shì gǔ rù rǔ, rǔ qǔ zhī bùchǐ. Fán wéirén ào tiānzāi, fàn dàrén, jī wúzuì zhě, yòu qǔ rénzhě gǔ, shǐ zhǔrén chū wúmǎ, rǔ jiāng héyǐ shì tiāndì, shàng bù kuì núlì yé! [Pinyin]
  Duan is a kind-hearted, honest, noble man, yet you have no respect for him. He sold his sole horse cheap to buy grain to pay you, and you took it brazenly. You have disregarded a heaven-sent calamity, opposed a respectable gentleman, beaten an innocent man, and taken a good man's grain, leaving him with no horse to ride. How can you face heaven and earth? You should lower your head before your slaves!
(honorific) Your Excellency; His Excellency (form of address to a higher-up)
Synonym: 閣下 / 阁下 (géxià)

法官大人 ― fǎguān dàrén ― Your Honour
(literary) form of address to one's parents or elder members of the family
(historical, Taiwanese Hokkien and Japanese-occupied Shantou Teochew) An address used by ordinary citizens to address Japanese occupation officials: sir
(Taiwanese Hokkien, dated or regional) police officer
(Xiamen and Quanzhou Hokkien, religion) paper person, used as a scapegoat

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 警察 (“police; police officer”) [map]

More information Variety, Location ...

(paper person): (Hokkien) 魂身

Derived terms

大人不計小人過 / 大人不计小人过 (dàrén bùjì xiǎorén guò)
大人不記小人過 / 大人不记小人过 (dàrén bù jì xiǎorén guò)
大人有大量 (dàrén yǒu dàliàng)
洋大人 (yángdàrén)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (大人):

→ Japanese: 大人(たいじん) (taijin); 大人(だいにん) (dainin)
→ Korean: 대인(大人) (daein)
→ Vietnamese: đại nhân (大人)

Others:

→ Amis: tayring

References

陈业建 (20 December 2015), “抗战时期潮人的特殊口语”, in 汕头特区晚报‎
“大人”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

	big; great; huge big; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor	man; person; people
simp. and trad. (大人)	大	人
alternative forms	大儂／大侬 Min Nan
anagram	人大

	big; great; huge big; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor	man; person; people
simp. and trad. (大人)	大	人
alternative forms	大儂／大侬 (dua7 nang5) Teochew
anagram	人大

Rime
Character	大	大	人
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	定 (7)	定 (7)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	泰 (25)	歌 (94)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I	III
Fanqie	徒蓋切	唐佐切	如鄰切
Baxter	dajH	daH	nyin
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/dɑi^H/	/dɑ^H/	/ȵiɪn/
Pan Wuyun	/dɑi^H/	/dɑ^H/	/ȵin/
Shao Rongfen	/dɑi^H/	/dɑ^H/	/ȵʑjen/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/daj^H/	/da^H/	/ȵin/
Li Rong	/dɑi^H/	/dɑ^H/	/ȵiĕn/
Wang Li	/dɑi^H/	/dɑ^H/	/ȵʑĭĕn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/dʱɑi^H/	/dʱɑ^H/	/ȵʑi̯ĕn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	dài	duò	rén
Expected Cantonese Reflex	daai⁶	do⁶	jan⁴

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	大	大	人
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	dà	dà	rén
Middle Chinese	‹ da^H ›	‹ daj^H ›	‹ nyin ›
Old Chinese	/*lˁat-s/ (MC F!)	/*lˁa[t]-s/	/*ni[ŋ]/
English	big	big	(other) person
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	大	大	人
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
No.	1934	1939	10800
Phonetic component	大	大	人
Rime group	祭	祭	眞
Rime subdivision	1	1	1
Corresponding MC rime	䭾	大	仁
Old Chinese	/*daːds/	/*daːds/	/*njin/

大人

Chinese

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Synonyms

Antonyms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Japanese

Korean

Okinawan

Vietnamese

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