对调 (duì diào) — to exchange; to swap (positions, jobs, seats, etc.)

Definition

对调 means a deliberate, mutual exchange between two people of positions, jobs, seats, or shifts — both sides give up what they had to take the other's. Implies a planned swap (often arranged through discussion), unlike a one-way change of post.

verb
to exchangeto swap (positions, jobs, seats, etc.)

Examples

  • 对调，。
    Wǒ men liǎ duì diào yí xià zuò wèi ba, wǒ xiǎng kào chuāng zuò.
    Let's swap seats — I'd like to sit by the window.
  • 对调，。
    Tā men shēn qǐng duì diào gōng zuò, cóng běi jīng diào dào shàng hǎi.
    They applied to exchange jobs and were transferred from Beijing to Shanghai.
  • 对调，。
    Zhí bān shí jiān kě yǐ duì diào, zhǐ yào nǐ gēn tóng shì shāng liang hǎo.
    You can swap your shift times as long as you discuss it with your coworker.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

对duìmutual
调tiáochange

对 conveys a mutual action, and 调 means to change positions.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

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