太 (tài): highest, greatest, too (much)
太 (tài) is a Chinese character meaning “highest.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 大 (structural) and 丶 (structural). It ranks #240 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 太 a giant 大 with a normal-sized man 丶 for scale. Its radical form 大 (big) appears in many related characters such as 大 (dà, big), 天 (tiān, day), 头 (tóu, head).
Definitions
- highest
- greatest
- too (much)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA giant 大 with a normal-sized man 丶 for scale
Decomposition: ⿵大丶 (layout: surround-from-top)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 太 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 太
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 太太noun | tài tai | married woman | 5 |
| 太阳noun | tài yang | sun | 3 |
| 太空noun | tài kōng | outer space | 6 |
| 老太太noun | lǎo tài tai | elderly lady (respectful) | 6 |
| 太阳能noun | tài yáng néng | solar energy | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 犹太 | yóu tài | the Jews |
| 太空船 | tài kōng chuán | spaceship |
| 老太婆 | lǎo tài pó | old woman (at times contemptuous) |
| 太平间 | tài píng jiān | mortuary |
| 晒太阳 | shài tài yáng | to be in the sun (getting warm or sunbathing etc) |
| 太平 | tài píng | peace and security |
| 太空人 | tài kōng rén | astronaut |
| 太子 | tài zǐ | crown prince |
| 太后 | tài hòu | Empress Dowager |
| 太极 | tài jí | the Absolute or Supreme Ultimate, the source of all things according to some interpretations of Chinese mythology |
| 老太 | lǎo tài | old lady |
| 太空舱 | tài kōng cāng | space capsule |
| 太监 | tài jiàn | court eunuch |
| 太空站 | tài kōng zhàn | space station |
| 太保 | tài bǎo | a very high official in ancient China |
太 appears in 100 compound words: 71 as the first character, 9 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 太 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (13)
to present a false picture of peace and cover up the ongoing turmoil in society
to present a false picture of peace and cover up the ongoing turmoil in society
Showing 12 of 13 idioms containing 太.
Example Sentences
这个问题太复杂了，不是三言两语能够解释清楚的。
Zhè gè wèntí tài fùzá le, bù shì sān yán liǎng yǔ nénggòu jiěshì qīngchu de.
This issue is too complex to be explained clearly in a few words.
太意外!?特朗普15%全球关税为中国送上“...
tài yì wài ! ? tè lǎng pǔ 1 5 quán qiú guān shuì wéi zhōng guó sòng shàng . . .
It's so unexpected!? Trump's 15% global tariff sends China "...
组图:太阳风暴来袭时 出现令人惊叹的极光
zǔ tú : tài yáng fēng bào lái xí shí chū xiàn lìng rén jīng tàn de jí guāng
Picture: Stunning aurora appears when a solar storm hits
睡觉太亮恐影响健康?医点名3类人风险高
shuì jué tài liàng kǒng yǐng xiǎng jiàn kāng ? yī diǎn míng 3 lèi rén fēng xiǎn gāo
Sleeping too brightly may affect your health? The doctor named 3 types of people with high risk
福建老太骑车摔倒,扶人女孩被定次责索赔22万,母...
fú jiàn lǎo tài qí chē shuāi dǎo , fú rén nǚ hái bèi dìng cì zé suǒ péi mò , mǔ . . .
Fujian old woman fell down on a bike, helping the girl was found to be secondary responsibility for the claim of 220,000, the mother...
谁被虹口新春美到了?中外游客:超出片,太震撼!| ..
shéi bèi hóng kǒu xīn chūn měi dào le ? zhōng wài yóu kè chāo chū piān , tài zhèn hàn ! . .
Who is beautiful by Hongkou New Year? Chinese and foreign tourists: beyond the film, too shocking! | The New York Times
你不觉得这房里的冷气太强了吗？
Nǐ bù juéde zhè fáng lǐ de lěngqì tài qiáng le ma?
Don't you think the air conditioner is turned up too high in here?
可能你工作得太拼命？
Kěnéng nǐ gōngzuò de tài pīnmìng?
Maybe you're working too hard.
太郎说英语，不是吗？
Tài láng shuō Yīngyǔ, bùshìma?
Taro speaks English, doesn't he?
谁比较高，肯还是太郎？
Shéi bǐjiào gāo, kěn háishi tài láng?
Who is taller, Ken or Taro?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 太 (tài) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 太 have?
What is the radical of 太?
What are the components of 太?
What are common words containing 太?
What characters sound the same as 太 (tài)?
Is 太 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 太 with real-time feedback
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