Mandarin · Chapter 21 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
Asking how + adjective with 多
多 + an adjective asks the degree of a measurable quality: 多高 (how tall), 多远 (how far), 多长 (how long), 多大 (how big or how old). Why 多 takes the positive adjective, how the answer mirrors the question, and the 有多 framing for emphasis.
The short version
Always ask 多 (duō) from the large end of the scale
Mandarin asks how-big, never how-small, whatever the real answer turns out to be. A child's age is still 你多大 (nǐ duō dà) and a short road is still 多长 (duō cháng). The large-pole adjective names the dimension neutrally; 多矮 (duō ǎi) presupposes the answer and lands as loaded, exactly like 'how short are you?'.
他多大？ tā duō dà
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