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too / very / extremely

tài
4 strokes · 大 (big) + 丶 (an extra dot) · HSK 1

Where 太 comes from

太 is simply 大 (big) with one extra dot — 'bigger than big', the greatest, the utmost. From 'supreme' came the everyday intensifier 'too / extremely'.

太 in Chinese culture

太 means 'too / extremely', and it loves the pattern 太…了: 太好了! (Great! 'too good', reusing 好 and 了), 太大了 (too big), 太贵了 (too expensive), 太多了 (too much, with 多). It can be positive (太好了 = wonderful!) or a complaint (太慢了 = too slow). 太 also means 'supreme/grand' in titles: 太太 (tàitai) = Mrs./wife, 太阳 (the sun, 'supreme yang'). One small dot turns 'big' into 'too much'.

Example

太好了 tài hǎo le — great! / wonderful!

这个太大了。
Zhège tài dà le.
This one is too big.

How to remember it

大 (big) with an extra dot — bigger than big: TOO, extremely.

太…了 is the go-to exclamation: 太好了! (great!), 太贵了! (too expensive!). And 太 means 'supreme': 太阳 is the sun ('great yang'), 太太 is 'Mrs.'.

Same sound, different tones

1st tāi
fetus / tire
2nd tái
platform / stage
4th tài
too / very

Words unlocked by 太

太好了 tài hǎo le
great! / wonderful!
太多 tài duō
too much / too many
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