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打盹儿 (dǎ dǔn r) — to doze off; to take a nap; to nod off

Definition

Short, unintentional nap — dozing off for a moment (in a meeting, on the train), not a planned rest. The erhua ending makes it casual and spoken; 眯 is dialectal for napping.

verb
to doze offto take a napto nod off

Examples

  • ，打盹儿。
    Tā dīng zhe diàn nǎo, bù zhī bù jué dǎ dǔn r le.
    He stared at the computer and dozed off without realizing it.
  • ，。
    Wǒ zhōng wǔ zhī dǎ le yí gè dǔn r, xià wǔ jiù bú kùn le.
    I took just a short nap at noon, and I wasn't sleepy in the afternoon.
  • ，打盹儿。
    Tā zuó wǎn jiā bān dào líng chén, jīn tiān kāi huì shí rěn bú zhù dǎ dǔn r.
    He worked overtime until early morning and couldn't help dozing off during the meeting today.

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.

打盹doze
打dǎtake盹dǔndoze
动宾Verb + object
儿érerhua

打盹儿 uses 儿 to make 打盹 colloquial, for dozing off.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
屯
屯tún盹dǔn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

盹 has 目 (eye) on the left and 屯 on the right, with 屯 giving the sound.

Open 盹 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Daily Routine

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