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掉包 (diào bāo) — to secretly replace (something) with a fake or substitute; to pull a switch, to trick by substitution

Definition

A verb meaning to secretly swap a genuine item for a fake (or one item for another) in order to deceive — the focus is on the act of substitution itself. It is separable: 掉…包, as in 用假货把真品掉了包.

verb
to secretly replace (something) with a fake or substituteto pull a switchto trick by substitution

Examples

  • 掉包。
    Piàn zi yòng jiǎ huà diào bāo le zhēn pǐn.
    The scammer replaced the genuine painting with a fake.
  • 掉包，。
    Mǎi shǒu jī shí xiǎo xīn bèi diào bāo, yí dìng yào jiǎn chá xù liè hào.
    Be careful of being tricked when buying a phone — always check the serial number.
  • 掉包，。
    Zhè qǐ àn jiàn shè jí huò wù diào bāo, jǐng fāng zhèng zài diào chá.
    This case involves the switching of goods, and the police are investigating.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

掉diàoswap
包bāopackage

掉 means swap and 包 means package; together they mean swapping one package for another.

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
卓
卓zhuó掉diào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

掉 is built from 扌 (a hand) and 卓, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 掉 →

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

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Open 包 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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