打圆场 (dǎ yuán chǎng) — to mediate a quarrel; to smooth things over

Definition

A set phrase meaning to step in and smooth over a quarrel or awkward situation, often with humor or a distraction. Commonly used as 打了个圆场, a verb-object pattern.

verb
to mediate a quarrelto smooth things over

Examples

  • ，打圆场，。
    Kàn dào liǎng gè tóng shì zhēng lùn bù xiū, tā gǎn jǐn chū lái dǎ yuán chǎng, shuō dà jiā dōu shì wèi le gōng zuò.
    Seeing his two colleagues arguing endlessly, he quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying everyone was just doing it for the work.
  • ，，。
    Péng you chǎo dé miàn hóng ěr chì, wǒ lián máng dǎ le ge yuán chǎng, tí yì xiān chī fàn zài shuō.
    My friends were quarreling fiercely, so I quickly mediated by suggesting we eat first and talk later.
  • ，打圆场，。
    Tán pàn xiàn rù jiāng jú shí, zhōng fāng dài biǎo yōu mò dì dǎ yuán chǎng, huǎn hé le qì fen.
    When the negotiations reached a stalemate, the Chinese representative humorously smoothed things over and eased the atmosphere.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

打dǎdo
圆场smoothed scene
圆yuánsmooth场chǎngscene
偏正Modifier + head

打 means to do, 圆 means smooth, and 场 means a scene; smoothing a scene means mediating a quarrel.

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.

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 →

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 圓; 圆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
員
員yuán圓yuán
Same sound today

This is about the traditional form 圓, not the simplified 圆. In 圓, 囗 surrounds 員, and the inner part of 員 is an old circle picture.

Open 圆 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.