对打 (duì dá) — to fight each other; to spar (as a training exercise)

Definition

对打 emphasizes two people fighting each other on equal terms, often as a planned bout or performance rather than a real conflict — covers both staged fight scenes and sparring practice. The verb can take 起/起来 to mark the start of the action.

verb
to fight each otherto spar (as a training exercise)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 对打，。
    Tā men liǎng gè rén kāi shǐ duì dá qǐ lái, dǎ dé fēi cháng jī liè.
    The two of them started fighting each other, and it was very intense.
  • ，对打。
    Zài wǔ shù xùn liàn zhōng, xué yuán men jīng cháng jìn xíng duì dá liàn xí.
    In martial arts training, students often practice sparring.
  • 对打。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng lǐ yǒu jīng cǎi de duì dá cháng miàn.
    This movie has exciting fight scenes.

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.

对duìfacing
打dǎstrike

对 means facing and 打 means strike, so the sense is striking while facing one another.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng打dǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

Open 打 →

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