大会
dàhuì · HSK 4
assembly
🎤 大 (big) + 会 (meeting) = a big meeting, i.e. a conference
大 means big or grand; 会 means meeting or gathering. Put together, 大会 names the large, formal kind of meeting — a conference, plenary session, or synod where many people convene.
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.
会 — 人 person on top + 云 cloud/say below (simplified from 會)
The traditional form 會 showed a lid over a vessel with contents stacked inside, depicting things coming together — hence 'meet, gather, assemble.' From 'gathering' it extended to 'meeting,' then 'understand' (minds meeting) and 'be able to.' The simplified 会 keeps only a schematic top and bottom.