TongTong
Sign in

打颤 (dǎ zhàn) — to shiver, to tremble

Definition

A vivid, action-oriented verb for shivering or trembling from cold or fear, often paired with 起来 (∼起来) to mark the onset of shaking.

verb
to shiverto tremble

Examples

  • 打颤。
    Tā lěng dé yì zhí dǎ zhàn.
    He was so cold he kept shivering.
  • ，打颤。
    Tīng dào nà ge shēng yīn, tā xià dé dǎ zhàn qǐ lái.
    Hearing that sound, she started trembling with fear.
  • ，。
    Tā dǎ le yí gè chàn, gǎn jǐn chuān shàng wài tào.
    He gave a shiver and quickly put on his coat.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

打dǎmake
颤chàntremble

打 make and 颤 tremble together describe a body producing a shiver.

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 顫; 颤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
亶
亶dǎn顫chàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 顫, 頁 shows the head and 亶 supplies the sound; the simplified 颤 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 颤 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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