大して
たいして · taishite · JLPT N2 · adverb
very
大 (big) + して (doing): doing it much, always paired with a negative verb
Built from 大 (big, much) plus して (doing). It only appears in negatives: 大していない means not very much, and 大して難しくない means not very difficult.
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.