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答应 (dā ying) — to answer, to respond; to agree, to promise

Definition

答应 covers both senses: 'to answer/respond' (like 答) AND 'to agree/promise' (like 肯 or 承诺). The promise sense usually takes a verb phrase or clause (他答应来).

verb
to answerto respondto agreeto promise

Examples

  • ，答应。
    Tā wèn le wǒ yí gè wèn tí, wǒ dā ying le tā.
    He asked me a question, and I answered him.
  • 答应。
    Wǒ dā ying le péng you de yāo qiú.
    I agreed to my friend's request.
  • 答应。
    Tā dā ying míng tiān lái bāng wǒ.
    He promised to come and help me tomorrow.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

答dáanswer
应yìngrespond

The answering sense of 答 and the responding sense of 应 combine to mean reply or agree.

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé答dá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

答 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 合 as the sound part; the bamboo top replaced an older grass part by mistake.

Open 答 →

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 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 5Communication & Speech2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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