殴打 (ōu dǎ) — to beat up, to assault (formal, often used in l… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

殴打 is a formal, often legal term for 'to assault / beat up.' Stronger in register than the colloquial 揍 and broader than the mutual scuffle 打架.

verb

to beat upto assault (formal, often used in legal contexts)

Examples

殴打。
Tā yīn wèi ōu dǎ tā rén bèi jǐng chá dài bǔ le.
He was arrested by the police for assaulting another person.
殴打。
Tā hē zuì hòu ōu dǎ le lù rén.
He beat up a passerby after getting drunk.
殴打。
Tā bèi rén ōu dǎ le yí dùn.
He was beaten up by someone.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

'殴' and '打' both mean to hit, so together they mean to beat up.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 毆; 殴 is its simplified writing.

區殳毆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

殳殳shūaction

Sound part声符shēngfú

區

區qū毆ōu

Same sound today

The traditional form 毆 pairs 區 for the sound with 殳 to mark an action, to write beat; 殴 is a simplified shorthand.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Crime & Police

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