打电话
da dianhua
In Chinese, the verb 'to call' (to contact by telephone) is 打电话 (da dianhua).
The term 打电话 is a common way to express the action of making a phone call. For a specific term meaning an incoming call or a call received, you would use the noun 来电. Other meanings for 'call' in English, such as to cry or shout, are expressed using 呼叫 or 呼喊, while the financial term for a call option is 認購期權 / 认购期权.
Meaning: to contact by telephone (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 打电话 is composed of two parts: the verb 打, which literally means 'to hit' or 'to strike' (used here in the sense of 'dialing') and the noun 电话, which means 'telephone'. The noun 电话 itself is composed of 电 (electricity) and 话 (speech or words).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that a single phone call was made, you insert the aspect marker 了 and the measure word 个 between the verb and the noun, resulting in the phrase 打了一个电话.
How do you pronounce it?
da dianhua
Did you know?
- If a phone call is dropped or cut off, Chinese speakers use the term 断了 which means 'broken' or 'snapped'.
- The verb 打 in 打电话 is used for many activities involving tools or movements, such as playing basketball 打篮球 or typing on a keyboard 打字. It suggests a physical action rather than just 'hitting'.
- In modern Chinese, calling someone 'wrong number' is described as 打错了, which literally means 'hit wrong'.
Examples in context
- 打电话回家！Call home!This sentence is useful for the command to call home using 打电话.Tatoeba #5092540 by mirrorvan, translation #1730009 by CK
- 请给我打电话。Please give me a call.This sentence is useful for requesting someone to give you a call using 打电话.Tatoeba #8933788 by crescat, translation #250165 by CK
- 明天打电话给我。Call me tomorrow.This sentence is useful for asking someone to call you tomorrow using 打电话.Tatoeba #1738150 by sadhen, translation #1493515 by Keder
- 我需要打电话给客户确认订单。I need to call the client to confirm the order.
- 请您拨打客服电话咨询相关信息。Please make a call to the customer service hotline for inquiries.
- 晚上有空的话，记得给我打电话。If you have time tonight, remember to give me a call.
- 我给爸爸打个电话告诉他我回家了。I will give my dad a call to let him know I'm home.
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Zihan are talking about planning a meeting.
- 伟 Wei我想给你打电话。Wǒ xiǎng gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.I want to call you.
- 梓涵 Zihan现在我不方便接电话。Xiànzài wǒ bù fāngbiàn jiē diànhuà.It's not convenient for me to answer the phone now.
- 伟 Wei那我晚上再打电话给你。Nà wǒ wǎnshàng zài dǎ diànhuà gěi nǐ.Then I will call you again tonight.
- 梓涵 Zihan好的，晚上见。Hǎo de, wǎnshàng jiàn.Okay, see you tonight.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
