太

tài

highest

greatest; too (much); very; extremely

big (大) + extra dot (丶) = pushed past big into too much

大 already means big or great; the extra dot pushes it one degree further, marking excess or the superlative. That single stroke transforms 'big' into 'too much' or 'the greatest.'

大+丶→太
丶A dot indicating excessSemantic
大BigSemantic

这碗汤太热了,我要等一会儿。

zhè wǎn tāng tài rè le, wǒ yào děng yī huìr.

This bowl of soup is too hot, I need to wait a moment.

今天的作业太多,我做到很晚才睡。

jīntiān de zuòyè tài duō, wǒ zuò dào hěn wǎn cái shuì.

Today's homework is too much; I worked on it until very late before sleeping.

Words with 太

太空站

tài kōng zhàn

space station

太上皇

tài shàng huáng

father of the reigning emperor

太仓市

tài cāng shì

Taicang, a county-level city in Suzhou City 蘇州市|苏州市[Su1 zhou1 Shi4], Jiangsu

太阳系

tài yáng xì

solar system

慈禧太后

cí xǐ tài hòu

Empress Dowager Cixi or Ts'u Hsi (1835-1908), regent 1861-1908

马太福音

mǎ tài fú yīn

Gospel according to St Matthew

太阳

tài yang

sun

以太网

yǐ tài wǎng

Ethernet

太鲁阁

tài lǔ gé

Taroko National Park in Hualien County 花蓮縣|花莲县[Hua1 lian2 Xian4], Taiwan

清太祖

qīng tài zǔ

posthumous title of Nurhaci 努爾哈赤|努尔哈赤[Nu3 er3 ha1 chi4] (1559-1626), founder and first Khan of the Manchu Later Jin dynasty 後金|后金[Hou4 Jin1] (from 1616)

宋太祖

sòng tài zǔ

Emperor Taizu of Song, posthumous title of the founding Song emperor Zhao Kuangyin 趙匡胤|赵匡胤 (927-976), reigned from 960

太白

tài bái

Taibai County in Baoji 寶雞|宝鸡[Bao3 ji1], Shaanxi

More characters with 大

参夬央夭因