鼓捣 (gǔ dǎo) — to tinker with, to fiddle with (colloquial); to incite, to egg on (less common)

Definition

Colloquial verb meaning 'tinker with / fiddle with' things (bikes, gadgets, plants) — hands-on, casual register, not for serious repair. Less commonly, 'egg on' a person to do something.

verb
to tinker withto fiddle with (colloquial)to inciteto egg on (less common)

Examples

  • 鼓捣。
    Tā yí xià bān jiù huí jiā gǔ dǎo tā nà liàng jiù zì xíng chē.
    He goes home right after work to tinker with his old bicycle.
  • 鼓捣，。
    Nǐ bié gǔ dǎo wǒ, wǒ bú huì qù zuò nà zhǒng shì.
    Don't egg me on — I won't do that kind of thing.
  • 鼓捣。
    Yé ye xǐ huan zài yuàn zi lǐ gǔ dǎo huā cǎo.
    Grandpa likes to fiddle with flowers and plants in the yard.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

鼓gǔbeat
捣dǎopound

鼓 gives beating and 捣 gives pounding, so 鼓捣 suggests fiddling or tinkering.

Characters in this word

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

  • 壴壴zhùdrum
  • 支支zhīhand holding drumstick

鼓 combines 壴, a drum, with 支, a hand holding a drumstick, so the character pictures a drum being struck.

Open 鼓 →

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 搗; 捣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
島
島dǎo搗dǎo
Same sound today

The traditional form 搗 pairs 手 (hand) with 島 as a sound part; the simplified 捣 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the original sound part.

Open 捣 →

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