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套套 (tào tao) — (colloquial) old methods, tricks of the trade (often in 老套套); (slang) condom

Definition

Two distinct senses: as a standalone noun it's slang for condom; reduplicated 套套 (often 老套套) means 'old tricks/methods'. The reduplication gives a casual, slightly dismissive tone.

noun
(colloquial) old methodstricks of the trade (often in 老套套)(slang) condom
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 套套，。
    Tā hái zài yòng nà xiē lǎo tào tao, méi rén xìn le.
    He's still using those old tricks; nobody believes them anymore.
  • 套套。
    Qù yào diàn mǎi yì hé tào tao.
    Go to the pharmacy and buy a box of condoms.
  • 套套。
    Zhè xiē tào tao yǐ jīng guò shí le.
    These old methods are outdated.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

套tàocover/trick
套tàocover/trick

The two 套 elements suggest a sheath or cover, giving the colloquial sense of a condom or routine trick.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 大大dàlarge
  • 長長chánglong

套 is made from 大 (large) and 長 (long), originally for something long, with some reference to hair; it later came to mean a cover or a linked group.

Open 套 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 大大dàlarge
  • 長長chánglong

套 is made from 大 (large) and 長 (long), originally for something long, with some reference to hair; it later came to mean a cover or a linked group.

Open 套 →
Appears in
Everyday Objects

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