Meaning
撞到 is a resultative compound verb meaning to collide with or bump into something or someone. The character 撞 means 'to collide' or 'to bump', while 到 as a result complement indicates successful completion of the action—that the collision actually made contact. It's commonly used for both physical collisions (cars, people, objects) and unexpected encounters.
Usage
This verb is used in everyday speech to describe accidental physical contact or collisions. It typically takes an object indicating what was hit. Native speakers use it for everything from minor bumps (撞到桌子 'bumped the table') to serious accidents (车撞到人 'car hit a person'). The tone is usually neutral, simply describing the collision without necessarily implying blame.
Examples
- 01我刚才不小心撞到桌子了，腿好疼。, .I accidentally bumped into the table just now, and my leg really hurts.
- 02开车的时候要小心，别撞到前面的车。, .Be careful when driving, don't hit the car in front.
Characters
Common collocations
- 撞到头to hit one's head
- 撞到人to hit someone
- 不小心撞到to accidentally bump into
- 被车撞到to be hit by a car
Antonyms
Origin
撞 is a phonetic-semantic compound with the hand radical (扌) indicating action, while 到 as a result complement is a common grammatical pattern in Mandarin indicating that an action was successfully completed or reached its target.