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不当 (bú dàng) — improper, inappropriate, unsuitable

Definition

不当 focuses on something being improper or inappropriate in conduct, language, or method — about correctness or propriety, not convenience or legality. 不宜 means inadvisable (don't do it); 不法 means illegal.

adjective
improperinappropriateunsuitable

Examples

  • 不当。
    Tā zài huì yì shàng fā biǎo le bú dàng yán lùn.
    He made inappropriate remarks at the meeting.
  • 不当，。
    Zhè zhǒng chǔ lǐ fāng shì fēi cháng bú dàng, xū yào gǎi zhèng.
    This way of handling it is very improper and needs to be corrected.
  • 不当，。
    Yīn shǐ yòng bú dàng, shè bèi chū xiàn le gù zhàng.
    Due to improper use, the equipment malfunctioned.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不bùnot
当dāngappropriate

不 means not and 当 means appropriate, so it describes something as not appropriate.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & Bad

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