Meaning of 打发
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to dispatch sb to do sth
- to make sb leave
- to pass (the time)
- (old) to make arrangements
- (old) to bestow (alms etc)
How to use 打发
In modern speech 打发 is most common in two senses: getting rid of someone, often a little dismissively, and killing time. 我看小说打发时间。(Wǒ kàn xiǎoshuō dǎfa shíjiān.) I read novels to pass the time.
打 (dǎ) is a general action verb, and 发 (fā) means to send out. Picture yourself giving someone a push and sending them on their way, so 打发 means to send someone off, or to send the time away.
Common mistake: The 发 in 打发 is usually read in the neutral tone, dǎfa, not dǎfā. Learners also use it as a polite word for sending someone on a task, but it often sounds dismissive, like brushing someone off.
打发 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.
打 dǎ · to hit · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
发 fā · to send out · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 打发.
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 打开 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket) |
| 打球 | dǎ qiú | to play a ball sport |
| 打车 | dǎchē | to take a taxi (in town); to hitch a lift |
| 发现 | fāxiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect |
| 打算 | dǎsuàn | to plan; to intend |
| 出发 | chūfā | to set off; to start (on a journey); (fig.) to proceed from (a particular standpoint or ba |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 打工 | dǎgōng | to work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or d |
| 打印 | dǎyìn | to affix a seal; to stamp |
| 发生 | fāshēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to arise (e.g. 發生問題|发生问题[fa1 sheng1 wen4 ti2] "a probl |
| 发展 | fāzhǎn | development; growth |
Questions about 打发
What does 打发 mean?
打发 (dǎfa) means "to dispatch sb to do sth; to make sb leave" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 打发?
打发 is made of 2 characters: 打 (5 strokes), 发 (5 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 打发 an HSK word?
Yes. 打发 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 打发 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 打发 is written 打發.
How do you say 'kill time' in Chinese using 打发?
Use 打发时间 (dǎfa shíjiān), which literally means to pass the time. For example, 等车的时候我玩手机打发时间 means 'I play on my phone to kill time while waiting for the bus.'
What does 别想打发我 mean?
别想打发我 (bié xiǎng dǎfa wǒ) means 'Don't think you can get rid of me so easily.' People say it when they feel someone is giving them a cheap excuse or a small favor just to make them go away.