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当下 (dāng xià) — (noun) the present moment, now; (adverb) immediately, at once

Definition

当下 (dāng xià) as a noun means 'the present moment' — more literary than 现在, closer in feel to 此时. As an adverb meaning 'immediately,' it pairs with 马上/立刻 but is slightly more formal/written.

noun
the present momentnow
adverb
immediatelyat once

Examples

  • 当下。
    dāng xià Zuì zhòng yào de shì qing shì xué xí.
    The most important thing at the moment is to study.
  • ，当下。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā dāng xià jiù kū le.
    Upon hearing the news, he cried immediately.
  • ，当下。
    Wèn tí hěn jǐn jí, wǒ men dāng xià jiù jiě jué.
    The problem is urgent; we'll solve it right away.

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.

当dāngcurrent
下xiàmoment

The part “当” means 'current', and “下” means 'moment', together referring to the present moment, hence 'at once'.

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Time (Abstract)

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