大伙儿
dàhuǒr · HSK 5
everybody
👫 大 (big) + 伙 (group/companions) + 儿 (erhua suffix) = the big group, everybody
大伙 literally means 'big group' — 伙 is the same character as in 伙伴 (companion) or 伙计 (buddy). The 儿 ending is northern Beijing erhua, giving it a casual everyday tone like saying 'you guys' or 'the gang'.
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.
伙 — person radical 亻 + fire 火
伙 combines 亻 (person) with 火 (fire), originally referring to a group of people sharing a cooking fire — a mess unit of soldiers or travelers. From this it broadened to mean 'companion,' 'partner,' or 'group,' and is now common in words like 伙伴 (partner) and 伙计 (mate).