莫大
ばくだい · bakudai · JLPT N3 · na-adj
enormous
🐋 莫大 = none + big: nothing is bigger, so it means enormous
莫 is a classical 'there is none', and 大 means big. The compound comes from Chinese 莫大, 'nothing greater'. It shows up in phrases like 莫大な費用, an enormous cost, and 莫大な損害, vast damage.
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.