讨 meaning and stroke order
To invite; to provoke; to demand or ask for
How to write 讨, stroke by stroke
5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Meaning of 讨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to invite
- to provoke
- to demand or ask for
- to send armed forces to suppress
- to denounce or condemn
- to marry (a woman)
How 讨 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To ask 讠 for something 寸.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 讨
讨 combines the speech radical 讠 with 寸 (cùn), a hand-like measure. Picture someone using words 讠 while holding out a hand 寸 to ask for something.
讨 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words like 讨论 (tǎolùn, to discuss) and 讨厌 (tǎoyàn, to dislike). Example: 我们明天讨论这个问题。(Wǒmen míngtiān tǎolùn zhège wèntí.) We will discuss this issue tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 讨 with 时 (shí, time), which also has 寸 on the right but uses 日 on the left. Also remember the tone is third tone, tǎo, not tào as in 套.
Common words with 讨
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 讨论 | tǎolùn | to discuss; to talk over | HSK 2 |
| 讨厌 | tǎoyàn | to dislike; to loathe; annoying; troublesome | HSK 5 |
| 探讨 | tàntǎo | to investigate; to probe | HSK 6 |
| 讨好 | tǎohǎo | to get the desired outcome; to win favor by fawning on sb | HSK 7-9 |
| 讨价还价 | tǎojià-huánjià | to haggle over price; to bargain | HSK 7-9 |
| 讨人喜欢 | tǎo rén xǐhuan | to attract people's affection; charming | HSK 7-9 |
| 商讨 | shāngtǎo | to discuss; to deliberate | HSK 7-9 |
| 乞讨 | qǐtǎo | to beg; to go begging | HSK 7-9 |
| 检讨 | jiǎntǎo | to examine or inspect; self-criticism | HSK 7-9 |
| 研讨 | yántǎo | discussion | HSK 7-9 |
| 讨厌鬼 | tǎoyànguǐ | disgusting person; slob | |
| 研讨会 | yántǎohuì | discussion forum; seminar | |
| 讨人厌 | tǎorényàn | horrid | |
| 自讨苦吃 | zìtǎokǔchī | (idiom) to ask for trouble; to make a rod for one's own back |
讨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 讨
How many strokes are in 讨?
讨 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 讨 mean?
讨 (tǎo) means to invite; to provoke; to demand or ask for. A common word with it is 讨论 (tǎolùn), meaning "to discuss; to talk over".
How do you pronounce 讨?
讨 is pronounced tǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 讨?
The radical of 讨 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 讨 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 讨?
The traditional form of 讨 is 討. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 讨 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 讨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 讨 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Is 讨厌 a strong word in Chinese?
Not usually. 讨厌 is a common, mild way to say you dislike something or find it annoying. Friends even say 讨厌 playfully to tease each other.
How do you say to beg or ask for money using 讨?
Use 乞讨 (qǐtǎo) for begging, or 讨钱 (tǎo qián) for asking someone to pay money back. 讨债 (tǎozhài) means to collect a debt.