English–Chinese
“play a role” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinqǐ dào
Example
志愿者在活动中起到了重要作用。zhì yuàn zhě zài huó dòng zhōng qǐ dào le zhòng yào zuò yòng
The volunteers played an important role in the activity.
How to say “play a role” in Chinese
“Play a role” in Chinese is 起到 (qǐ dào).
Something takes an active part in bringing a result about, whether its contribution is a role or a useful function.
Example sentences with 起到
政府拨款在项目中起到桥梁作用。zhèng fǔ bō kuǎn zài xiàng mù zhōng qǐ dào qiáo liáng zuò yòng
Government funding plays a bridging role in the project.
Tips for using 起到
- English may separate a person's role from a thing's function, but this Chinese verb can describe both kinds of contribution with the same pattern.