打 (dǎ) — to hit, strike, beat; to play (a ball game or sport); to make (a phone call, a document, etc.)
Definition
打 (dǎ) is a very common light-verb used in dozens of set phrases (打电话 call, 打球 play ball, 打工 do a job). For striking with the hand, 拍 is gentler (pat/clap), while 敲 is for knocking on a door — 打 is the neutral default for hitting.
verb
to hitstrikebeatto play (a ball game or sport)to make (a phone call, a document, etc.)
Examples
- 打。Tā dǎ le wǒ yí xià.He hit me once.
- 打。Qǐng gěi wǒ dǎ gè diàn huà.Please give me a phone call.
- 打。Wǒ měi tiān dǎ lán qiú.I play basketball every day.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.
Appears in
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