大肠 (dà cháng) literally means 'large intestine' — a key part of the human digestive system that absorbs water and electrolytes from undigested food and forms/stores feces. The character 大 (dà) means 'large' or 'big', while 肠 (cháng) means 'intestine' or 'gut'; together, they form a compound noun referring specifically to the anatomical structure extending from the cecum to the rectum.

This term is used primarily in medical, biological, and health-related contexts — for example, in discussions about digestion, diseases like colitis or colorectal cancer, dietary fiber’s role in gut health, or traditional Chinese medicine concepts of 'spleen-stomach-intestine' balance. Unlike colloquial terms such as 肠子 (chángzi), which can refer to intestines more generally or even figuratively ('guts'), 大肠 is precise, formal, and strictly anatomical.