老大 lǎodà old age
old age; very; eldest child in a family; leader of a group; boss; captain of a boat; leader of a criminal gang
How to remember 老大: 老 old + 大 big = old age.
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How it is used
- Several senses: eldest child - 家里的老大 (jiā li de lǎodà) the oldest kid; and 'boss/chief', including of a gang - 他是老大 (tā shì lǎodà) he's the boss.
- Also adverbial 'greatly' in fixed phrases: 心里老大不高兴 (xīnli lǎodà bù gāoxìng) really quite displeased.
- Colloquial; the 'boss/leader' sense is very common in casual and slang use.