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懂 (dǒng) — to understand, to comprehend

Definition

懂 (dǒng) means 'to understand' — everyday and common, usually about concrete things like words or what someone says. Use 理解 for deeper comprehension of feelings or abstract ideas.

verb
to understandto comprehend

Examples

  • 懂？
    Nǐ dǒng le ma?
    Do you understand?
  • 懂。
    Zhè ge zì wǒ bù dǒng.
    I don't understand this character.
  • 懂懂。
    Tā dǒng wǒ shuō de huà dōu dǒng.
    He understands everything I say.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
董
董dǒng懂dǒng
Same sound today

懂 is built from 心, the heart, and 董, which gives the sound.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2HSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsThinking & Cognition2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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