大众
dàzhòng · HSK 4
the broad masses
👥 大 (big) + 众 (crowd) = the big crowd, i.e. the masses
众 itself is three 人 (people) stacked — a crowd by composition. Pair with 大 (big) and you get the broad public. Volkswagen took 大众 as its Chinese name, literally the people's car.
大 — pictograph of a person with arms outstretched
大 is a pictograph showing a person standing with arms and legs spread wide. The outstretched arms suggest 'big' or 'great', extending from the literal image of a large stance to abstract meanings like important or grand. It is one of the oldest characters, found on oracle bones.