大A大B: 大吃大喝, 大吵大闹, 大鱼大肉
【四23】固定短语 / fixed patterns
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
大A大B is a four-character frame meaning "A and B on a grand scale, without restraint", usually with a hint of disapproval: 大吃大喝 (eat and drink to excess), 大吵大闹 (make a scene), 大哭大叫 (cry and shout at the top of your voice), 大摇大摆 (swagger), 大鱼大肉 (rich dishes of fish and meat in abundance).
The two slots hold two verbs of related meaning (吃 / 喝, 吵 / 闹, 哭 / 叫) or two nouns that go together (鱼 / 肉). The whole acts as a verb (他们在饭店里大吃大喝), a modifier (大吃大喝的习惯), a manner of acting with 地 (大摇大摆地走进来), or a noun (桌子上都是大鱼大肉).
It is not a free frame: these are units to learn one by one, you cannot make up 大看大听. Do not confuse it with 大 + a single verb (大笑, 大哭), which just means "loudly, thoroughly" and carries no reproach. A more advanced cousin: 一A一B (hsk6-g32).
Examples
他们在饭店里大吃大喝，花了不少钱。
Tāmen zài fàndiàn lǐ dà chī dà hē, huā le bù shǎo qián.They ate and drank to excess at the restaurant and spent quite a lot of money.
孩子在商店里大哭大叫，妈妈很不好意思。
Háizi zài shāngdiàn lǐ dà kū dà jiào, māma hěn bù hǎoyìsi.The child is crying and shouting in the shop, and his mother is very embarrassed.
有话好好说，别大吵大闹。
Yǒu huà hǎohāo shuō, bié dà chǎo dà nào.If you have something to say, say it nicely, don't make a scene.
过年的时候，家家的桌子上都是大鱼大肉。
Guònián de shíhou, jiājiā de zhuōzi shang dōu shì dà yú dà ròu.At New Year the table in every home is piled with rich dishes.
那个小伙子大摇大摆地走进了教室。
Nàge xiǎohuǒzi dà yáo dà bǎi de zǒu jìn le jiàoshì.That young man swaggered into the classroom.
Common mistakes
✗ 大看大听 → the frame is not free: only established units exist (大吃大喝, 大吵大闹, 大哭大叫…).
✗ 他大吃大喝了很多菜。 → ✓ 他们在饭店里大吃大喝。(the phrase takes no direct object).