Chinese word

倒数

Pronunciation

Pinyindào shǔ

Meaning

  • verbcount down

Example

比赛还有十秒，我们开始倒数。bǐ sài hái yǒu shí miǎo wǒ men kāi shǐ dào shǔ

There are ten seconds left in the game; let's start counting down.

Illustration for 倒数 (count down)

More examples

演唱会结束前，大家一起倒数三、二、一。yǎn chàng huì jié shù qián dà jiā yì qǐ dào shǔ sān èr yī

Before the concert ends, everyone counts down together: three, two, one.

Core concept

Time becomes a descending line of numbers that leads to zero or the signal to start.

Common phrases

  • 从十开始倒数cóng shí kāi shǐ dào shǔ

    count down from ten

  • 大家一起倒数三、二、一dà jiā yì qǐ dào shǔ sān èr yī

    everyone counts down from three to one together

  • 为新年倒数wèi xīn nián dào shǔ

    count down to the New Year

Similar words

倒计时dào jì shí: Count down the remaining time to show when an event will begin.
数shù: Count things or numbers in order to check their quantity or sequence.

Definition in Chinese

从最后的数字向前连续报数，以提示剩余时间或提醒马上开始的动作。cóng zuì hòu de shù zì xiàng qián lián xù bào shù yǐ tí shì shèng yú shí jiān huò tí xǐng mǎ shàng kāi shǐ de dòng zuò

Word origin

倒数 (dàoshǔ, "count down") is built from 倒 (dào, "reverse") + 数 (shǔ, "count"), linking the word's form directly to its backward numerical sequence.

Usage tips

  • The final number in a spoken countdown is often followed immediately by a start cue, making the expression part of the event's timing rather than just a report of the clock.

Opposites

  • 顺数shùn shùcount upverb

Related words

  • 倒数第二dào shǔ dì èrsecond-to-lastordinal number
  • 倒数第一dào shǔ dì yīlastordinal number

Word lists with this word