Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Tall and big, large in stature: Describes a person or living being who has both significant height and a substantial, well-built physical frame. It emphasizes overall impressive size, not just height.
   • Grown-up, adult-like (in stature): Can describe a child or young person who has reached a tall, developed physical size, often implying they look older than their age.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy là một vận động viên cao lớn và khỏe mạnh. (He is a tall and big athlete who is very healthy.)
  • Cậu bé mới 15 tuổi nhưng đã cao lớn như người trưởng thành. (The boy is only 15 but is already tall and big like an adult.)
  • Cô ấy không chỉ cao mà còn cao lớn, có dáng người vạm vỡ. (She is not just tall but tall and large, with a sturdy build.)

Advanced Usage

• Implied Comparison: Often used to describe someone who stands out in a group due to their imposing physique.
  • Trong đám đông, anh ấy trông thật cao lớn. (In the crowd, he looks truly imposing/tall and large.)
• Descriptive in Narratives: Used to paint a picture of a character's physical presence, often conveying strength, authority, or maturity.
  • Người lính cao lớn đứng gác cổng. (The tall, large soldier stood guard at the gate.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cao (adj): Tall (primarily emphasizes height, not necessarily build).
  • Cô ấy rất cao. (She is very tall.)
• Lớn (adj): Big, large (can refer to size, age, or importance).
  • Căn nhà lớn. (The big house.)
  • Anh trai lớn. (The older brother.)
• Vạm vỡ (adj): Sturdy, brawny, muscular (emphasizes strength and solid build, often paired with 'cao lớn').
  • Thân hình vạm vỡ. (A sturdy physique.)
• To cao (adj): Tall and big (a close synonym, slightly less common).
  • Chàng trai to cao. (The tall and big young man.)

Synonyms

• To lớn: Big and large (can refer to objects or people, sometimes less specific about height).
• Đô con: (Colloquial) Big-built, husky.

Common Phrases and Collocations

• Cao lớn khỏe mạnh: Tall, big, and healthy.
  • Cha mẹ nào cũng mong con mình cao lớn khỏe mạnh. (All parents wish for their children to be tall, big, and healthy.)
• Chân cao vai rộng: Literally "long legs and broad shoulders" (an idiom describing an ideal tall and strong build).
  • Anh ấy có dáng người chân cao vai rộng. (He has the build of someone with long legs and broad shoulders.)

Notes on Meaning

• "Cao lớn" vs. "Cao": While "cao" simply means tall, "cao lớn" adds the dimension of a substantial, often strong or imposing, physical presence. A person can be "cao" (tall and slender) but not necessarily "cao lớn" (tall and big/stocky).
• Contextual Use: It is almost exclusively used to describe people or animals, not objects. For objects, "to lớn" or "lớn" is more appropriate.

1. Tall, tall of stature