偌 (ruò): so

Meanings

1 so
2 such
3 to such a degree

Characters

偌

ruò

so; such; to such a degree

Examples

偌大的房间里只有他一个人。

Ruò dà de fángjiān lǐ zhǐyǒu tā yīgè rén.

In such a large room, there was only him alone.

偌大的广场空无一人。

Ruò dà de guǎngchǎng kōngwúyīrén.

The vast square was completely empty.

Tips

usage

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 偌大 (ruòdà), meaning 'so big/vast.' Rarely used on its own.

register

Literary and formal. In everyday speech, 这么大 (zhème dà) is more natural.

Components

radical

亻 rén

person (radical form of 人)

Side-person radical on the left — compressed form of 人 heading the vast human family (他 he, 你 you, 们 plural, 体 body, 休 rest). Grounds 偌 in human reference: 偌 is a degree adverbial 'so, such,' used when sizing up the scope of a person or situation.

phonetic

若 ruò

if; like; as if (here phonetic)

Right 若 supplies the sound — ruò = ruò, no shift. 若 also brings a faint flavour ('like, in the manner of') bleeding into 偌's 'such, so' reading: 偌大 'so big' has a 'man-like-this-size' feel. Mostly literary; in modern Mandarin you'll see it almost only in 偌大 and 偌多.