强大
qiángdà · HSK 3
big and powerful
💪 强大 = 强 (strong) + 大 (big) → strong + big = formidable
强 carries the sense of strong or powerful, and 大 means big or great. Together they describe something that is both mighty and large in scale — a country, an army, or any formidable force.
强 — bow 弓 + elong 㔾 + insect 虫
Originally written 強, depicting a type of strong-shelled insect or weevil, with 虫 (insect) as semantic and 弘 as phonetic. The meaning shifted from the insect's tough shell to the general sense of 'strong, powerful, forceful.' The form 强 is a common variant where 弘 is replaced by 弓+口.
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.