What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 打 (dǎ), meaning 'to hit' or 'to strike' and 扰 (rǎo), meaning 'to disturb' or 'to bother'.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can add 了 (le) to the end of the word to form 打扰了, which is used to apologize after you have already interrupted someone or finished a conversation. To make the phrase sound more polite and less abrupt when approaching someone, you can add 一下 (yíxià) to create 打扰一下, which functions like saying 'Excuse me' or 'Sorry to bother you' to ask for assistance or attention.
How do you pronounce it?
dǎrǎo
When do people say it?
When you want to politely approach someone to ask for help or grab their attention, using the phrase 打扰一下 is a common social practice. If you have already interrupted a person, you can say 打扰了 to express that you are sorry for the disturbance.
Did you know?
- In traditional etiquette, 打扰了 (dǎrǎo le) is often said when leaving a host's home to acknowledge that your visit was a disruption to their daily routine.
- The character 扰 (rǎo) shares a radical with words related to 'stirring' or 'shaking', reflecting the idea of unsettling someone's peace.
- While 打扰一下 (dǎrǎo yíxià) is used as 'Excuse me', it is more formal and implies a greater level of intrusion than the common 请问 (qǐngwèn) used for asking directions.
Examples in context
- 当我学习的时候不要打扰我。Don't disturb me while I'm studying.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire not to be disturbed while studying with 打扰.Tatoeba #604947 by CLARET, translation #251805 by CK
- 我会尽量不打扰你复习。I'll do my best not to disturb your studying.This sentence shows an intention to avoid disturbing someone's studies using 打扰.Tatoeba #27 by fucongcong, translation #1304 by djinni74
- 你考虑周到，没有打扰我们。You were considerate not to disturb us.This sentence highlights being considerate by not disturbing others using 打扰.Tatoeba #332563 by fucongcong, translation #247391 by CK
- 我很抱歉打擾您，但我有個問題需要請教。I apologize for disturbing you, but I have a question to ask.
- 請避免干擾會議進行。Please refrain from disturbing the progress of the meeting.
- 麻煩你給我找一下鑰匙好嗎？Can you please help me find my keys? (Can you disturb yourself to find my keys?)
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A colleague walks into an office to ask a question.
- 伟 Wei欣怡，打扰一下，你可以帮我个忙吗？xīn yí, dǎ rǎo yí xià, nǐ kě yǐ bāng wǒ gè máng ma?Xinyi, sorry to disturb you, can you do me a favor?
- 欣怡 Xinyi没关系，伟，请说吧。méi guān xi, wěi, qǐng shuō ba.No problem, Wei, please go ahead.
- 伟 Wei谢谢，我不想打扰你工作。xiè xiè, wǒ bù xiǎng dǎ rǎo nǐ gōng zuò.Thank you, I didn't want to disturb your work.
- 欣怡 Xinyi别客气，你可以随时找我。bié kè qi, nǐ kě yǐ suí shí zhǎo wǒ.You're welcome, you can look for me anytime.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
