‘Dà mài’ (barley) is a cereal grain widely cultivated in China and globally for food, animal feed, and brewing. The compound is formed by two characters: ‘dà’ meaning ‘big’ or ‘large’, and ‘mài’ meaning ‘wheat’ or ‘grain’ — together they historically distinguish barley from other small-grained cereals like wheat (小麦 xiǎo mài) or oats (燕麦 yàn mài), though barley grains are not actually larger than wheat. In modern usage, 大麦 refers specifically to the species *Hordeum vulgare*.

This word appears frequently in agricultural, culinary, and beverage contexts — especially in discussions of traditional Chinese medicine (where roasted barley tea, 炒大麦茶, is consumed for digestion), health foods, and beer production (as malted barley is essential). Unlike wheat, barley has a tough outer hull and higher fiber content, making it nutritionally distinct and culturally valued for its cooling properties in TCM.