Meaning of 大陆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- continent; mainland
Measure word: 塊|块
- mainland China (reference to the PRC)
How to use 大陆
大陆 can mean a continent in general, as in 美洲大陆 (Měizhōu dàlù, the American continent). In Taiwan, Hong Kong and overseas communities, 大陆 very often refers specifically to mainland China. Example: 他是从大陆来的。(Tā shì cóng dàlù lái de.) He came from mainland China.
大 (dà) means big and 陆 (lù) means land, so 大陆 is a big piece of land: a continent or mainland. Picture standing on a small island and looking across the water at the big land.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 陆 with the wrong left side or confuse it with 路 (lù, road), which sounds the same but has the foot radical. 大陆 is land, 大路 (dàlù) is a main road.
大陆 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
陆 lù · land · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 大陆.
| 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 大陆
What does 大陆 mean?
大陆 (dàlù) means "continent; mainland" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 大陆?
大陆 is made of 2 characters: 大 (3 strokes), 陆 (7 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 大陆 an HSK word?
Yes. 大陆 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 大陆 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 大陆 is written 大陸.
What is the difference between 大陆 and 中国?
中国 (Zhōngguó) is the general name for China. 大陆 is used when contrasting the mainland with places like Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau, for example 大陆和台湾 (dàlù hé Táiwān).
Is 大陆 the same as 洲 for continents?
Not quite. 洲 (zhōu) is used in the names of the continents, such as 亚洲 (Yàzhōu, Asia). 大陆 is a more general word for a large landmass or continent, as in 大陆板块 (dàlù bǎnkuài, continental plate).