当着 (dāng zhe) — in the presence of; right in front of (often in the pattern 当着…的面)

Definition

Used in the pattern 当着…的面 to mean 'right in front of / in the presence of' someone, usually when something is said or done they can witness. No siblings to contrast — just remember the 面 (face/presence) complement.

conjunction
in the presence ofright in front of (often in the pattern 当着…的面)

Examples

  • 当着。
    Nǐ dāng zhe dà jiā de miàn bǎ huà shuō qīng chǔ.
    Say it clearly in front of everyone.
  • 当着。
    Tā dāng zhe wǒ de miàn shuō le hěn duō nán tīng de huà.
    He said a lot of nasty things right in front of me.
  • 当着。
    Bú yào dāng zhe hái zi de miàn chǎo jià.
    Don't argue in front of the children.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

当dāngface
着zheparticle

当 means to face; 着 shows the relational sense.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě著zháo
Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →

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