Chinese word

叫板

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiào bǎn

Meaning

  • verbprovoke

Example

他在网上公开叫板对手。tā zài wǎng shàng gōng kāi jiào bǎn duì shǒu

He openly provoked his opponent online.

Illustration for 叫板 (provoke)

More examples

辩论中，他当众叫板对手，气氛顿时紧张。biàn lùn zhōng tā dāng zhòng jiào bǎn duì shǒu qì fēn dùn shí jǐn zhāng

During the debate, he publicly provoked his opponent, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.

Core concept

A verbal summons thrown into the open, inviting an opponent to answer or argue.

Common phrases

  • 在网上叫板对手zài wǎng shàng jiào bǎn duì shǒu

    provoke an opponent online

  • 在媒体上叫板对手zài méi tǐ shàng jiào bǎn duì shǒu

    provoke an opponent in the media

Similar words

挑衅tiǎo xìn: Deliberately provoke someone to stir up anger or conflict.
嘲讽cháo fěng: Use mocking or sarcastic words to attack and belittle someone.

Definition in Chinese

在公开场合或网络上当众点名并以言语刺激对方，目的是引起对方回应或争论。zài gōng kāi chǎng hé huò wǎng luò shàng dàng zhòng diǎn míng bìng yǐ yán yǔ cì jī duì fāng mù dì shì yín qǐ duì fāng huí yìng huò zhēng lùn

Word origin

In opera usage, 叫板 (jiàobǎn, "call for the beat") referred to announcing a musical entrance, and this image of calling someone into a public exchange broadened into its modern confrontational sense.

Usage tips

  • The English phrase "call someone out" often means publicly criticizing a fault, whereas this Chinese verb focuses on drawing a reply or argument.

Other meanings

  • challengeverb
  • dareverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 叫板者jiào bǎn zhěprovokernoun

Word lists with this word