大事

Chinese

		big; great; huge big; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor	matter; thing; item matter; thing; item; work; affair
simp. and trad. (大事)		大	事
anagram		事大

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): dàshì

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄚˋ ㄕˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): daai⁶ si⁶
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): thai-sṳ
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tāi-sū

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dàshì
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄚˋ ㄕˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dàshìh
  - Wade–Giles: ta⁴-shih⁴
  - Yale: dà-shr̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dahshyh
  - Palladius: даши (daši)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    大事
    大勢 / 大势
    大士
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: daai⁶ si⁶
  - Yale: daaih sih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: daai⁶ si⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: dai⁶ xi⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /taːi̯²² siː²²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: thai-sṳ
  - Hakka Romanization System: tai sii
  - Hagfa Pinyim: tai⁴ si⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /tʰai̯⁵⁵ sɨ⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tāi-sū
  - Tâi-lô: tāi-sū
  - Phofsit Daibuun: daixsu
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /tai²²⁻²¹ su²²/
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /tai⁴¹⁻²² su⁴¹/
  - Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /tai²²⁻²¹ su²²/
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /tai³³⁻¹¹ su³³/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /tai³³⁻²¹ su³³/

Noun

大事

important matter; big deal; major event; great thing
這是關係到生死的大事。 [MSC, trad.]
这是关系到生死的大事。 [MSC, simp.]
Zhè shì guānxì dào shēngsǐ de dàshì. [Pinyin]
This is a matter of life and death.

廉政建設是關係到黨和國家生死攸關的大事。 [MSC, trad.]
廉政建设是关系到党和国家生死攸关的大事。 [MSC, simp.]
Liánzhèng jiànshè shì guānxì dào dǎng hé guójiā shēngsǐyōuguān de dàshì. [Pinyin]
The establishment of a clean and honest administration is a matter of life and death for both the party and the country.
- 天下難事，必作於易，天下大事，必作於細。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  天下难事，必作于易，天下大事，必作于细。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE
  Tiānxià nánshì, bì zuò yú yì, tiānxià dàshì, bì zuò yú xì. [Pinyin]
  All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small.

Synonyms

一回事 (yīhuíshì)

Antonyms

(literary) 可事 (kěshì)
小事 (xiǎoshì)

Derived terms

國家大事 / 国家大事 (guójiā dàshì)
大事化小
大事化小，小事化了 (dàshì huà xiǎo, xiǎoshì huà liǎo)
大事化小，小事化無 / 大事化小，小事化无 (dàshì huà xiǎo, xiǎoshì huà wú)
大事記 / 大事记 (dàshìjì)
紅白大事 / 红白大事 (hóngbáidàshì)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (大事):

→ Japanese: 大事(だいじ) (daiji)
→ Korean: 대사(大事) (daesa)
→ Vietnamese: đại sự (大事)

Adverb

大事

in a big way
大事渲染 ― dàshì xuànrǎn ― to play up

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
大	事
だい Grade: 1	じ Grade: 3
goon

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) だいじ [dàíjíꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[1] in "大事にする"
(Tokyo) だいじ [dàíjí] (Heiban – [0]) in "大事な"
(Tokyo) だいじ [dáꜜìjì] (Atamadaka – [1]) in "大事に至らない"
IPA^(key): [da̠iʑi]

Adjective

大(だい)事(じ) • (daiji) -na (adnominal 大(だい)事(じ)な (daiji na), adverbial 大(だい)事(じ)に (daiji ni))

important
(archaic) difficult, highly troubling
(archaic) seriously ill or injured; grave
- 10th century, Ochikubo Monogatari:
  
  いと大(だい)事(じ)にはあらねど、起(お)き臥(ふ)しなやみ給(たま)ふを
  Ito daiji niwa aranedo, oki fushi nayami tamau o
  Although it wasn't the gravest [illness / situation], [he / she] truly suffered fitful nights and days unable to sleep.
- 13th century, Koun Ejō, 正法眼蔵随聞記巻六:
  
  或(ある)時(とき)、尻(しり)に腫(はれ)物(もの)を出(だ)す。医(い)師(し)、是(これ)を見(み)て、大(だい)事(じ)の物(もの)也(なり)、と云(いふ)。恵(けい)云(いは)く、大(だい)事(じ)の物(もの)ならば、死(し)すべしや。医(い)云(いは)く、ほとんどあやうかるべし。
  Aru toki, shiri ni haremono o dasu. Ishi, kore o mite, daiji no mono nari, to iu. Kei iwaku, daiji no mono naraba, shisu beshi ya. I iwaku, hotondo ayōkaru beshi.
  One day, he got a swelling on the buttocks. The doctor saw it and said it was grave. "If it is grave, then would I die [soon]?" Kei asked. The doctor said, "Close to [life-]threatening."

Inflection

Inflection of 大事
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	大事だろ	だいじだろ	daiji daro
Continuative (連用形)	大事で	だいじで	daiji de
Terminal (終止形)	大事だ	だいじだ	daiji da
Attributive (連体形)	大事な	だいじな	daiji na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	大事なら	だいじなら	daiji nara
Imperative (命令形)	大事であれ	だいじであれ	daiji de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	大事ではない大事じゃない	だいじではないだいじじゃない	daiji de wa nai daiji ja nai
Informal past	大事だった	だいじだった	daiji datta
Informal negative past	大事ではなかった大事じゃなかった	だいじではなかっただいじじゃなかった	daiji de wa nakatta daiji ja nakatta
Formal	大事です	だいじです	daiji desu
Formal negative	大事ではありません大事じゃありません	だいじではありませんだいじじゃありません	daiji de wa arimasen daiji ja arimasen
Formal past	大事でした	だいじでした	daiji deshita
Formal negative past	大事ではありませんでした大事じゃありませんでした	だいじではありませんでしただいじじゃありませんでした	daiji de wa arimasen deshita daiji ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	大事で	だいじで	daiji de
Conditional	大事なら（ば）	だいじなら（ば）	daiji nara (ba)
Provisional	大事だったら	だいじだったら	daiji dattara
Volitional	大事だろう	だいじだろう	daiji darō
Adverbial	大事に	だいじに	daiji ni
Degree	大事さ	だいじさ	daijisa

Synonyms

大(たい)切(せつ) (taisetsu, “important”)
重(じゅう)大(だい) (jūdai, “grave”)
難(なん)儀(ぎ) (nangi, “difficult, highly troubling”)

Noun

大(だい)事(じ) • (daiji)

An important thing; a serious matter; a valuable thing
(colloquial) trouble

Derived terms

お大(だい)事(じ)に (o daiji ni, “get well soon”)
大(だい)事(じ)に至(いた)らない (daiji ni itaranai, “non-fatal, without heavy injury, no threat to life”)
大(だい)事(じ)無(な)い (daijinai, “not worrisome”)
大(だい)事(じ)を取(と)る (daiji o toru, “as a precaution, to be careful”)
大(だい)事(じ)の前(まえ)の小(しょう)事(じ) (daiji no mae no shōji, “lose a fly to catch a trout”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
大	事
おお Grade: 1	こと > ごと Grade: 3
kun'yomi

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) おおごと [òógótó] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [o̞ːɡo̞to̞]

Noun

大(おお)事(ごと) • (ōgoto)

serious matter
大事(おおごと)にならなくてよかった。
Ōgoto ni naranakute yokatta.
I'm glad it wasn't serious.

References

Ineko Kondō, Fumi Takano, Mary E. Althaus, et al. (2002), Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, third edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN

^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō

“大事”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

Korean

Hanja in this term
大	事

Noun

大事 • (daesa) (hangeul 대사)

hanja form^? of 대사 (“an important thing; a serious matter; a valuable thing”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
大	事

Noun

大事

chữ Hán form of đại sự (“important matter; big deal; major event; great thing”)

[SMK2-1] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō

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