Meaning of 赌博
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to gamble
How to use 赌博
赌博 is a fairly formal or neutral verb for gambling as an activity, often in news, laws, or warnings. It usually takes no object. Example: 他因为赌博欠了很多钱。(Tā yīnwèi dǔbó qiànle hěn duō qián.) He owes a lot of money because of gambling.
赌 (dǔ) has 贝 (shell, old money) on the left, so it is about risking money. 博 (bó) also appears in words like 博士 (bóshì), and together 赌博 means staking your money on chance.
Common mistake: Learners often use 赌博 for a friendly bet between people, but that is 打赌 (dǎdǔ), as in 我跟你打赌 (I bet you). Also keep the tones straight: dǔ is third tone and bó is second tone.
赌博 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.
赌 dǔ · to bet · 12 strokes
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博 bó · to gamble · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 赌博.
| 博士 | bóshì | doctor (as an academic degree); (old) person specialized in a skill or trade |
| 博物馆 | bówùguǎn | museum |
| 博客 | bókè | (loanword) a blog; a blogger |
| 微博 | wēibó | microblogging; microblog |
| 博览会 | bólǎnhuì | an exposition; an international fair |
| 打赌 | dǎdǔ | to bet; to make a bet |
| 赌场 | dǔchǎng | casino |
| 赌注 | dǔzhù | stake (in a gamble); (what is at) stake |
| 赌城 | dǔchéng | casino town; nickname for Las Vegas |
| 赌徒 | dǔtú | gambler |
| 赌钱 | dǔqián | to gamble |
| 赌局 | dǔjú | game of chance; gambling party |
Questions about 赌博
What does 赌博 mean?
赌博 (dǔbó) means "to gamble" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 赌博?
赌博 is made of 2 characters: 赌 (12 strokes), 博 (12 strokes). That is 24 strokes in total.
Is 赌博 an HSK word?
Yes. 赌博 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 赌博 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 赌博 is written 賭博.
Can 赌博 be used as a noun?
Yes. It can mean gambling as an activity, as in 赌博是违法的 (dǔbó shì wéifǎ de), gambling is illegal. The person who gambles is 赌徒 (dǔtú).
Is 赌博 legal in China?
Most forms of gambling are illegal in mainland China, so the word often appears in negative or legal contexts. Macau is the well-known exception where casinos are legal.