Abstract: This article investigates the definition of big aircraft and points out that “Big Aircraft” is neither a technical term nor an international word; it is a specific word reflecting Chinese people's high expectation for China's aviation industry. Furthermore, this article generalizes the classification of big aircraft from an international horizon, and sums up China's history in researching and developing the big aircraft as well as its great significance.

Key words: big aircraft, Chinese manufacturing industry, journey, shanghai Y-10, Xian Y-20, C919