Meaning of 大方
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- generous
- magnanimous
- stylish
- in good taste
- easy-mannered
- natural and relaxed
- expert
- scholar
- mother earth
- a type of green tea
- see 大方縣|大方县[Da4 fang1 Xian4]
How to use 大方
大方 (dàfang) describes people who are generous with money or things, or who act naturally and confidently without being shy. It can also describe clothing or design that looks tasteful and elegant. Example: 他请客很大方。(Tā qǐngkè hěn dàfang.) He is very generous when treating people.
大 (dà) means big and 方 (fāng) means square or direction. Picture someone with a big, open, square-shaped heart who shares freely and carries themselves with ease.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable with a full first tone, dàfāng, but the adjective meaning generous is usually dàfang with a neutral tone. With the full tone, dàfāng means an expert or the place name 大方县, so the tone changes the meaning.
大方 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
大 dà · big · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
方 fāng · square · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 大方.
| 地方 | dìfang | region; regional (away from the central administration) |
| 大学 | dàxué | university; college |
| 大学生 | dàxuéshēng | university student; college student |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone; influential family |
| 方法 | fāngfǎ | method; way; technique; procedure |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup |
| 长大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
| 方向 | fāngxiàng | direction; orientation |
| 方面 | fāngmiàn | respect; aspect |
| 方便 | fāngbiàn | convenient; suitable; to facilitate; to make things easy |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
Questions about 大方
What does 大方 mean?
大方 (dàfang) means "generous; magnanimous" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 大方?
大方 is made of 2 characters: 大 (3 strokes), 方 (4 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 大方 an HSK word?
Yes. 大方 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the opposite of 大方 in Chinese?
For money, the common opposite is 小气 (xiǎoqi), meaning stingy. For manner, the opposite is 拘束 (jūshù) or 害羞 (hàixiū), meaning restrained or shy.
Can 大方 be used to compliment someone's appearance or behavior?
Yes. 举止大方 (jǔzhǐ dàfang) praises someone's relaxed, confident behavior, and 穿得很大方 (chuān de hěn dàfang) means someone is dressed tastefully. It is a polite and positive compliment.