打下手 (dǎ xià shǒu) — to assist; to play a supporting role; to play s… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

打下手 means to play a supporting, hands-on helper role — like assisting a chef or boss with the routine work. Unlike 帮 or 帮助 (general help), it specifically means doing the lower-level tasks in someone else's lead.

phrase

to assistto play a supporting roleto play second fiddle

Examples

，。
Tā gāng lái de shí hou, zhī gěi shī fu dǎ le ge xià shǒu.
When he first arrived, he only helped the master out a bit.
打下手。
Wǒ bù xǐ huan yì zhí gěi rén jiā dǎ xià shǒu.
I don't like always playing a supporting role for others.
，打下手，。
Zài gōng sī lǐ, tā zǒng shì gěi bié rén dǎ xià shǒu, méi jī huì dāng zhǔ jué.
At the company, he always assists others and never gets a chance to be the lead.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

下手assistant

下xiàlower手shǒuhand

偏正Modifier + head

打, 下, and 手 suggest doing work as a secondary hand, i.e. assisting.

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.

扌丁打

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

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.

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Social Roles & Status

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