TongTong
Sign in

斗殴 (dòu ōu) — to brawl; to engage in a physical fight (formal/literary)

Definition

Formal/literary term for a public brawl — typically refers to a group fight or violent scuffle, stronger and more legalistic than the everyday 打 (dǎ). Often seen in news reports and legal contexts.

verb
to brawlto engage in a physical fight (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 斗殴。
    Tā men bèi jiān kòng pāi dào zài jiē shàng dòu ōu.
    They were caught on surveillance brawling on the street.
  • 斗殴。
    Jǐng fāng xùn sù zhì zhǐ le zhè chǎng dòu ōu.
    The police quickly stopped this brawl.
  • 斗殴。
    dòu ōu Shì wéi fǎ de xíng wéi.
    Brawling is an illegal act.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

斗dòufight
殴ōustrike

斗 and 殴 both denote fighting or striking, so together they mean a physical brawl.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 斗 originally showed a ladle-shaped dipper or cup used to measure grain, held in a hand.

Open 斗 →

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 毆; 殴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
殳殳shūaction
Sound part声符shēngfú
區
區qū毆ōu
Same sound today

The traditional form 毆 pairs 區 for the sound with 殳 to mark an action, to write beat; 殴 is a simplified shorthand.

Open 殴 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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