垫底 (diàn dǐ) — to come last; to rank at the bottom; to eat a little something beforehand (to stave off hunger); to put something at the bottom; to lay a foundation
Definition
垫底 covers two idiomatic uses: literally 'to put something at the bottom' (same base sense as the verb 垫 'to pad/lay under'), and figuratively 'to rank last'. Also means 'to snack beforehand to stave off hunger'.
verb
to come lastto rank at the bottomto eat a little something beforehand (to stave off hunger)to put something at the bottomto lay a foundation
Examples
- ，。Tā xiān zài xiāng zi lǐ diàn le gè dǐ, zài fàng qí tā dōng xī.He first put a layer at the bottom of the box, then put other things in.
- 垫底。Zhè cì kǎo shì tā yòu diàn dǐ le.He came last in this exam again.
- 垫底，。Nǐ xiān chī gè miàn bāo diàn dǐ, bié è zhe dù zi.Eat a bread first to tide you over, don't be hungry.
Appears in
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