打岔 (dǎ chà) — to interrupt (a conversation); to change the su… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

打岔 means to cut into a conversation or change the subject, often by saying something off-topic. Unlike 打断 (forcibly breaking someone's speech), 打岔 implies steering the talk elsewhere, and is milder than 插嘴-style interruption.

verb

to interrupt (a conversation)to change the subject

Examples

打岔，。
Qǐng nǐ bié dǎ chà, xiān tīng wǒ shuō wán.
Please don't interrupt; listen to me finish first.
。
Tā zài tǎo lùn zhōng dǎ le hǎo jǐ gè chà.
He made several interruptions during the discussion.
，打岔。
Wǒ men zhèng zài tán zhèng shì, bú yào dǎ chà.
We're discussing serious matters, don't interrupt.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

岔chàdiversion

打岔 uses 打 (make) to form a 岔 (diversion), interrupting the current talk.

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.

扌丁打

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

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.

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

分山岔

分分fēnsplit; division
山山shānmountain

岔 combines 分 (split; division) and 山 (mountain), showing a mountain divided into branches.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Communication & Speech

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