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叨 (dāo) — (bound form) used in words meaning 'to chatter, to talk endlessly' (唠叨, 叨念); (bound form) also used in polite forms meaning 'to receive a favor' under the tāo reading (叨光, 叨教)

Definition

叨 (dāo) appears only inside compound words: meaning 'to chatter' in 唠叨 and 叨念, and (under tāo) meaning 'to receive a favor' in polite phrases like 叨光 and 叨教.

bound form
used in words meaning 'to chatter, to talk endlessly' (唠叨, 叨念)also used in polite forms meaning 'to receive a favor' under the tāo reading (叨光, 叨教)

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā ài láo dāo, yì shuō jiù shì bàn tiān.
    She loves to chatter; once she starts talking, it goes on for half a day.
  • 。
    Tā zuǐ lǐ yì zhí zài dāo niàn nà jiàn shì.
    He's been muttering about that matter the whole time.
  • 叨。
    Nǐ men bié zài bèi hòu dāo gu bié rén.
    Don't gossip about others behind their backs.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo叨dāo
Same sound today

叨 combines 口, the mouth part, with 刀, the sound part.

Appears in
Communication & Speech

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