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打电话 (dǎ diàn huà) — to make a phone call

Definition

A separable verb phrase: 打电话 means 'to make a phone call' — say it together before the object (打个电话). Don't confuse with 挂 (guà), which means to hang up or end a call, not to make one.

phrase
to make a phone call

Examples

  • 打电话？
    Tā zài dǎ diàn huà ma?
    Is he on the phone?
  • 打电话？
    Shuí zài dǎ diàn huà?
    Who is calling?
  • 打电话。
    Wǒ bù dǎ diàn huà.
    I won't call.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

打dǎmake
电话telephone
电diànelectric话huàspeech
偏正Modifier + head

打 means to make, and 电 plus 话 form 电话; together they mean to make a telephone call.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 1500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 11000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsPhones & Telecom2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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