Meaning of 当场
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- at the scene; on the spot
How to use 当场
当场 describes something that happens immediately, right where an event takes place, often in news reports about accidents, arrests, or reactions. It usually comes before the verb. Example: 他当场就答应了。(Tā dāngchǎng jiù dāying le.) He agreed on the spot.
当 (dāng) means "right at" a time or place, and 场 (chǎng) means a place or scene, as in 广场 (guǎngchǎng) and 球场 (qiúchǎng). Put them together and you get "right there at the scene": something happens on the spot.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 当场 (on the spot, at that place) with 当时 (dāngshí, at that time). 当时 only refers to a past time, while 当场 stresses that the action happened right there and immediately. Also note that 当 here is first tone dāng, not fourth tone dàng.
当场 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
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场 chǎng · large place used for a specific purpose · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 当场.
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport; airfield; (slang) service provider for Shadowsocks or similar software for circum |
| 商场 | shāngchǎng | shopping mall; shopping center |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
| 广场 | guǎngchǎng | public square; plaza |
| 停车场 | tíngchēchǎng | parking lot; car park |
| 球场 | qiúchǎng | stadium; sports ground |
| 体育场 | tǐyùchǎng | stadium |
| 当然 | dāngrán | only natural; as it should be |
| 现场 | xiànchǎng | the scene (of a crime, accident etc); (on) the spot |
| 相当 | xiāngdāng | equivalent to; appropriate |
| 市场 | shìchǎng | marketplace; market; bazaar; (economics) market |
| 当中 | dāngzhōng | among; in the middle |
Questions about 当场
What does 当场 mean?
当场 (dāngchǎng) means "at the scene; on the spot" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 当场?
当场 is made of 2 characters: 当 (6 strokes), 场 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 当场 an HSK word?
Yes. 当场 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 当场 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 当场 is written 當場.
Can 当场 be used as a noun?
Yes, it can mean "the scene" itself, as in 在当场 (zài dāngchǎng, at the scene), but this is less common. Most of the time it works as an adverb before a verb, as in 当场死亡 (dāngchǎng sǐwáng, died at the scene).
What is the difference between 当场 and 马上?
马上 (mǎshàng) means "right away" and can refer to the near future, like 我马上来 (I'm coming right away). 当场 refers to something done immediately at the very place where an event happened, and it is usually used to describe past events.