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打牌 (dǎ pái) — to play cards or mahjong; (figurative) to use a specific relationship or country as leverage in negotiations or strategy

Definition

Literally 'play cards' (or mahjong). Also a political/negotiation term: 打…牌 means to 'play the … card' — use a relationship or country as leverage against a counterpart.

verb
to play cards or mahjong(figurative) to use a specific relationship or country as leverage in negotiations or strategy

Examples

  • 打牌。
    Tā zhōu mò xǐ huan hé péng you dǎ pái.
    He likes to play cards with friends on weekends.
  • 。
    Wǒ men dǎ le yí xià wǔ de pái.
    We played cards for the whole afternoon.
  • 。
    Tā men zài tán pàn zhōng dǎ měi guó pái.
    They played the America card in the negotiations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

打dǎplay
牌páicards

打 means play and 牌 means cards or tiles, together meaning playing cards or tiles.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng打dǎ
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.

Open 打 →

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
片片piàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
卑
卑bēi牌pái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

牌 puts 片, a flat piece, beside 卑, which gives the sound.

Open 牌 →
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