捣 (dǎo) - To pound & to beat

捣Tone 3

dǎo ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

捣 · dǎo

To pound;

to beat;

to stir;

to disturb;

to harass;

to cause trouble.

To poundto beatto stir

Usage highlights

To cause troubleTo smash to piecesTo pound medicineTo pound garlicTo stir upMortar and pestle

Synonyms

  • 砸— to smash, to break
  • 搅— to stir, to mix
  • 扰— to disturb, to harass

Antonyms

  • 建— to build, to construct
  • 立— to establish, to set up
  • 安— to pacify, to calm

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She is pounding garlic with a pestle (捣蒜).
  • The children are stirring up trouble (捣乱).
  • He is mashing the potatoes (捣土豆泥).
  • The protesters tried to disrupt the meeting (捣毁会议).

Collocations

  • To cause trouble(捣乱)
  • To smash to pieces(捣毁)
  • To pound medicine(捣药)
  • To pound garlic(捣蒜)
  • To stir up(捣鼓)
  • Mortar and pestle(捣臼)

Idioms

  • To pound an egg with a sledgehammer(用大锤捣鸡蛋)
  • Stirring up trouble behind the scenes(幕后捣鬼)
  • Directly pound the dragon's den(直捣龙潭)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted the action of pounding with a hand tool, evolving to include metaphorical meanings of disruption.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '捣药' (pounding medicine) was a common preparation method using mortar and pestle.
  • The character appears in military contexts meaning 'to attack and destroy' enemy strongholds.

FAQ