倒腾 (dǎo teng) — to move or shift (things around); to buy and sell on a small scale, to peddle

Definition

Colloquial verb covering two senses: physically moving or shuffling things around (furniture, boxes), and informally buying/selling goods for profit (peddling). Very everyday and spoken, not written.

verb
to move or shift (things around)to buy and sell on a small scaleto peddle

Examples

  • 倒腾。
    Tā bǎ jiù jiā jù dōu dǎo teng dào lóu xià le.
    He moved all the old furniture downstairs.
  • 倒腾。
    Tā kào dǎo teng shuǐ guǒ zhèng qián.
    He earns money by peddling fruit.
  • 倒腾，。
    Nǐ bǎ xiāng zi dǎo teng yí xià, kàn kàn lǐ miàn yǒu shén me.
    Go through the box and see what's inside.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

倒dǎoturn over
腾téngmove

倒 and 腾 both involve turning or moving things, giving the sense of shifting or peddling.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
到
到dào倒dào
Same sound today

倒 combines 亻 (person) with 到, which gives the sound.

Open 倒 →

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 騰; 腾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
朕
朕zhèn騰téng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 騰 pairs 馬 (horse) with 朕 as a sound part; it described a horse's gallop or prance. The simplified 腾 is a later shorthand.

Open 腾 →

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