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打赌 (dǎ dǔ) — to bet, to make a bet

Definition

打赌 (dǎ dǔ) is a colloquial verb meaning 'to make a bet' with someone — usually a wager on a prediction, not money. Lighter than 赌博 ('to gamble'); 赌 alone is more general.

verb
to betto make a bet

Examples

  • ，。
    Wǒ gēn péng you dǎ le yí gè dǔ, kàn shuí xiān dào.
    I made a bet with a friend about who arrives first.
  • 打赌，。
    Wǒ gēn nǐ dǎ dǔ, míng tiān yí dìng xià yǔ.
    I bet you that it will rain tomorrow.
  • 打赌，。
    Tā dǎ dǔ zì jǐ huì yíng, jié guǒ shū le.
    He bet that he would win, but in the end he lost.

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/do
赌dǔbet/gamble

“打” suggests making or carrying out, and “赌” refers to a bet or gamble.

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 賭; 赌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě賭dǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賭 combines 貝 (shell; money) with 者, and this shape expresses the meaning to wager or to bet. The simplified 赌 is a shorthand.

Open 赌 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Gambling & Chance2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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