逗乐 (dòu lè) — to amuse oneself, to goof around, to have a lau… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

逗乐 (dòu lè) means 'to amuse / make people laugh' — to crack jokes or clown around for fun. The result complement 逗…乐 highlights the effect on the listener: making them laugh.

verb

to amuse oneselfto goof aroundto have a laugh

Examples

逗乐。
Tā zǒng xǐ huan zài xiū xi shí dòu lè.
He always likes to goof around during breaks.
，。
Tā zuó tiān dòu le yí gè lè, bǎ dà jiā dōu dòu xiào le.
He pulled a joke yesterday and made everyone laugh.
，。
Bié dòu wǒ lè le, wǒ zhèng máng zhe ne.
Don't make me laugh; I'm busy right now.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

乐lèpleasure

逗 gives teasing, and 乐 gives the pleasure sought.

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.

辶豆逗

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu逗dòu

Same sound today

逗 pairs 辶, written in full as 辵, with 豆, which gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

絲絲sīstring
木木mùwood

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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