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打闹 (dǎ nào) — to make boisterous noise; to laugh and joke

Definition

打闹 means noisy, playful roughhousing — usually kids clowning around, fighting for fun, or just being rowdy. It implies BOTH the loud chaos and the joking, so it covers more than just 'laughing' (笑) or 'playing' (玩).

verb
to make boisterous noiseto laugh and joke

Examples

  • 打闹。
    Hái zi men zài yuàn zi lǐ dǎ nào.
    The children are making noise and fooling around in the yard.
  • 打闹，。
    Tā men yì biān chī fàn yì biān dǎ nào, wán dé hěn kāi xīn.
    They were eating and joking at the same time, having a great time.
  • 打闹，。
    Jiào shì lǐ dà jiā dōu zài dǎ nào, fēi cháng rè nao.
    Everyone in the classroom was making noise and laughing — it was very lively.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

打dǎhit
闹nàomake noise

打 and 闹 combine as hitting and making noise, giving rough, noisy play.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鬧; 闹 is its simplified writing.

  • 鬥鬥dòuto fight
  • 市市shìmarket; town

The traditional form 鬧 combines 鬥 (to fight) and 市 (market; town) to mean noisy.

Open 闹 →
Appears in
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