打烊 (dǎ yàng) — (of a store or business) to close for the night

Definition

Used only for shops, restaurants, and similar businesses closing for the day — not a general 'close'. Often used as 打了烊 in spoken Chinese.

verb

(of a store or business) to close for the night

打烊。
Zhè jiā diàn měi tiān qī diǎn dǎ yàng.
This store closes at seven every evening.
烊，。
Chāo shì yǐ jīng dǎ le yàng, míng tiān zài lái ba.
The supermarket has already closed; come back tomorrow.
打烊。
Chūn jié qī jiān hěn duō cān guǎn bù dǎ yàng.
Many restaurants don't close during the Spring Festival.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

烊yàngclosing

打 means to do, and 烊 refers to closing.

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

火羊烊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒflame

Sound part声符shēngfú

羊

Same sound today

烊 has 火, flame, on the left and 羊 on the right, which gives the sound.

Appears in