Meaning
打 is one of the most versatile and frequently used verbs in Mandarin. Its core meaning is 'to hit' or 'to strike', but it extends to dozens of meanings depending on context, including playing sports, making phone calls, fighting, breaking things, and forming countless verb-object compounds.
Usage
Native speakers use 打 in countless fixed expressions and verb-object compounds. The specific meaning depends heavily on what follows it: 打电话 (make a phone call), 打篮球 (play basketball), 打工 (work part-time). It's extremely colloquial and appears in daily conversation constantly across all registers.
Examples
- 01我每天打一个小时篮球。.I play basketball for one hour every day.
- 02他给我打了电话。.He called me on the phone.
Common collocations
- 打电话to make a phone call
- 打篮球to play basketball
- 打工to work part-time
- 打架to fight, to brawl
Origin
The character 打 combines the hand radical 扌(手) with 丁 (a nail or spike), originally suggesting the action of hitting or striking with the hand. Over time it developed numerous extended meanings.