Definition
耽搁 (dān ge) means 'to delay, hold up' or 'to stop over briefly'. Compared to 耽误 (dān wu), which implies wasting time or missing a deadline with negative consequences, 耽搁 is more neutral — it simply describes a slowdown or a temporary stop without necessarily implying harm. As a 'stop over' (sense 2), it's like a short stay during a trip, whereas 停留 (tíng liú) is a deliberate pause without any sense of delay.
verb
to delayto hold upto stop overto stay temporarily
Examples
- ，耽搁。Yīnwèi tiānqì bù hǎo, fēijī dān ge le yí gè xiǎoshí.The flight was delayed for an hour because of bad weather.
- ，耽搁。Zhè jiàn shì hěn jí, bù néng zài dān ge le.This matter is urgent and can't be delayed any further.
- 耽搁，。Tā zài Nánjīng dān ge le liǎng tiān, shùnbiàn kàn le jǐ gè péngyou.He stopped over in Nanjing for two days and visited a few friends while he was at it.
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