大米
dà mǐ · HSK 6
rice
🍚 大米 = big + rice; the 'big/proper' grain, i.e. husked rice
大 (dà) means big, 米 (mǐ) means rice grain. Together 大米 specifies husked/uncooked rice as a staple, distinguishing it from 米 alone which can mean any grain. Contrast with 小米 (xiǎomǐ) = millet.
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.
米 — pictograph of rice grains separated by a thresher
米 is a pictograph showing grains of rice scattered around a central horizontal line, originally depicting kernels separated from the husk on a threshing surface. In oracle bone script the dots clearly represent individual grains. The meaning has stayed remarkably stable, referring to husked, uncooked rice and by extension other small grains.