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捣鼓 (dǎo gǔ) — to tinker with, to fiddle with, to mess around with; (less common) to curse, to abuse, to vilify

Definition

Colloquial verb meaning 'to tinker with / fiddle with' — busy oneself messing around with something to fix, adjust, or figure it out. The 'curse, abuse' sense is rare and informal slang.

verb
to tinker withto fiddle withto mess around with(less common) to curseto abuseto vilify

Examples

  • 捣鼓。
    Tā zuì xǐ huan dǎo gǔ gè zhǒng diàn zǐ shè bèi le.
    He loves to tinker with all kinds of electronic devices.
  • 捣鼓，！
    Nǐ bié zài dǎo gǔ le, kuài guò lái chī fàn!
    Stop fiddling around and come eat!
  • ，。
    Tā dǎo le bàn tiān gǔ, hái shì méi xiū hǎo.
    He tinkered for a long time but still couldn't fix it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

捣dǎopound
鼓gǔbeat

捣 means pound or poke and 鼓 means beat; together they suggest fiddling with something.

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 搗; 捣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
島
島dǎo搗dǎo
Same sound today

The traditional form 搗 pairs 手 (hand) with 島 as a sound part; the simplified 捣 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the original sound part.

Open 捣 →

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

  • 壴壴zhùdrum
  • 支支zhīhand holding drumstick

鼓 combines 壴, a drum, with 支, a hand holding a drumstick, so the character pictures a drum being struck.

Open 鼓 →
Appears in
Crafts & Handiwork

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