Meaning of 当
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be
- to act as
- manage
- withstand
- when
- during
- ought
- should
- (onom.) dong
- ding dong (bell)
- at or in the very same...
- suitable
- adequate
- fitting
- proper
- to replace
- to regard as
- to think
How to use 当
As a verb, 当 (dāng) means to work as or serve as a role, and as a preposition it marks time in patterns like 当……的时候. Example: 我想当医生。(Wǒ xiǎng dāng yīshēng.) I want to be a doctor.
Picture the top of 当 as three little strokes pointing down at a box below, like someone stepping into a role and standing in it. When you 当 (dāng) something, you take that position, as in 当老师 (dāng lǎoshī), to be a teacher.
Common mistake: Learners often use 是 (shì) where 当 is needed. 当 means taking on a job or role, so say 他当了经理 (he became the manager), not just 他是了经理. Also watch the tone change in 上当 (shàngdàng) and 当作 (dàngzuò), which use fourth tone dàng.
当 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
当 dāng · to be · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 当.
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
| 当然 | dāngrán | only natural; as it should be |
| 相当 | xiāngdāng | equivalent to; appropriate |
| 当中 | dāngzhōng | among; in the middle |
| 当地 | dāngdì | local |
| 当初 | dāngchū | at that time; originally |
| 应当 | yīngdāng | should; ought to |
| 当年 | dāngnián | in those days; back then; in those years; to be in the prime of life |
| 当场 | dāngchǎng | at the scene; on the spot |
| 当选 | dāngxuǎn | to be elected; to be selected |
| 当前 | dāngqián | the present time; to be faced with |
| 当代 | dāngdài | the present age; the contemporary era |
Questions about 当
What does 当 mean?
当 (dāng) means "to be; to act as" and is used as a verb and preposition.
How do you write 当?
当 is made of 1 character: 当 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 当 an HSK word?
Yes. 当 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 当 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 当 is written 當.
What is the difference between 当 dāng and 当 dàng?
First tone dāng is the common one, meaning to act as, or when, as in 当时 (dāngshí). Fourth tone dàng means proper or to treat as, as in 恰当 (qiàdàng, appropriate) and 当作 (dàngzuò, to regard as).
How do I say 'when' with 当?
Use the frame 当……的时候 at the start of the sentence. For example, 当我回家的时候，天已经黑了。(Dāng wǒ huíjiā de shíhou, tiān yǐjīng hēi le.) When I got home, it was already dark. In speech, 当 is often dropped and people just say ……的时候.