大都 meaning in English

dàdū

for the most part; on the whole

HSK 5adverb13 strokes

Meaning of 大都

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

dàdū

for the most part
on the whole
metropolitan

Dàdū

Dadu, capital of China during the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368), modern day Beijing

dàdōu

for the most part
on the whole
also pr. [da4 du1]

How to use 大都

大都 is an adverb placed before the verb or adjective, similar to 大多 or 基本上, and is a bit more formal than everyday 都. It describes a general trend that has some exceptions. Example: 这里的学生大都来自南方。(Zhèlǐ de xuésheng dàdōu láizì nánfāng.) The students here mostly come from the south.

大 (dà) means big and 都 (dōu) means all, so 大都 is the big part of all: for the most part. Think of a big crowd where almost everyone, but not quite all, agrees.

Common mistake: Learners often treat 大都 like 都 and use it for something that is 100 percent true, but 大都 always leaves room for exceptions. Also, like 都, it must come before the verb. Do not place it before the subject.

大都 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

汤tāng姆mǔ的de朋péng友yǒu大dà都dū没méi你nǐ高gāo。

You're taller than most of Tom's friends.

许xǔ多duō欧ōu洲zhōu的de大dà都dū市shì饱bǎo受shòu“甜tián甜tián圈quān现xiàn象xiàng”困kùn扰rǎo。

Many of Europe's metropolises are plagued by the donut phenomenon.

要yào在zài一yí个gè像xiàng东dōng京jīng一yī样yàng的de大dà都dū市shì里lǐ过guò活huó，不bù借jiè钱qián是shì很hěn困kùn难nán的de。

It's really difficult to survive in a big city like Tokyo without going into debt.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

大 dà · big · 3 strokes

都 dōu · all · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 大都.

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
大人	dàren	adult; grownup
长大	zhǎngdà	to grow up
大部分	dàbùfen	the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4]
大声	dà shēng	loud voice; in a loud voice
大量	dàliàng	great amount; large quantity
大多数	dàduōshù	(great) majority
大海	dàhǎi	sea; ocean
大门	dàmén	entrance; door

Questions about 大都

What does 大都 mean?

大都 (dàdū) means "for the most part; on the whole" and is used as a adverb.

How do you write 大都?

大都 is made of 2 characters: 大 (3 strokes), 都 (10 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.

Is 大都 an HSK word?

Yes. 大都 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Is 大都 pronounced dàdū or dàdōu?

As the adverb meaning for the most part, it is usually read dàdōu, with dōu as in 都 (all), though dàdū is also accepted. When it means a metropolis or the Yuan capital 大都 (Dàdū), it is read dū, as in 首都 (shǒudū).

What is the difference between 大都 and 大多?

They are very close and often interchangeable as adverbs meaning mostly. 大多 is slightly more common in speech and can also modify nouns in set phrases like 大多数 (dàduōshù, the majority), while 大都 works only as an adverb before verbs and adjectives.