大厅
dàtīng · HSK 5
big/main hall
🏛️ 大 (big) + 厅 (hall) = big hall, like a grand lobby or parlor
大 means big or large; 厅 means hall or large room (often a reception space). Together 大厅 names the main hall, lobby, or parlor of a building — the big public room where people gather or are received.
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.
厅 — factory radical 厂 + ding 丁
厅 is the simplified form of 廳, originally written with the 广 (building) radical to mean a hall or large room. The simplified version uses 厂 as the semantic component (a shelter or building) plus 丁 as the phonetic, hinting at the sound tīng. It now means hall, lobby, or government office.