mostly; for the most part; in most cases
大多
mostly; for the most part; in most cases
Mostly, for the most part, or majority (大 big + 多 many); describes a predominant share or common trend among people or items.
Common Usage & Traps
- 大多是 — are mostly / are for the most part
- 大多不是 — are mostly not / most of them aren't
- 大多来自 — mostly come from
- 大多住在 — mostly live in
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大多的人大多数人English lets 'most' attach straight to a noun, so learners bolt 的 onto 大多 and expect it to work. 大多 is a group word that describes how a crowd acts, so it can't label a noun. Reach for 大多数 or 大部分 when you want 'most + noun'.
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大多去那儿的人不是老北京去那儿的人大多不是老北京Learners drag 大多 to the front because English says 'most of the people who go there'. In Chinese the subject comes first, then 大多, then the verb or 是.
Can you say 大多的人 in Chinese, or does it have to be 大多数人?
大多的人 is broken — 大多 can't sit in front of a noun.
“可现在的茶馆虽然还是可以喝茶,但是去那儿的人大多不是老北京。” (But although you can still drink tea in today's teahouses, most people who go there aren't old-time Beijingers.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 'Most' + noun | 大多数人喜欢喝茶 | 大多的人喜欢喝茶 |
| Where it sits in a sentence | 去那儿的人大多不是老北京 | 大多去那儿的人不是老北京 |
| Group chat test | 我们组的人大多住得挺远 | 我们组大多的人住得挺远 |
Does 大多 just mean the same thing as 很多?
大多 measures most of a named group; 很多 just means a big number.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| What it counts | A slice of a group you already named | A big raw number, group unknown |
| Everyday example | 这儿的学生大多是外国人 | 这儿有很多外国人 |
| Ending a sentence | 这儿的人很多 | 这儿的人大多 (sentence just stops) |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Ever wondered where old Beijing's tea-drinking culture has gone? Follow a visitor discovering why locals now avoid famous tea houses—and practice expressing surprise and comparisons in Chinese along the way.
- Scene #1
可现在的茶馆虽然还是可以喝茶,但是去那儿的人 大多 不是老北京。
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