Chinese word

当

Pronunciation

Pinyindāng

Meaning

  • verbbe

Example

他想当老师。tā xiǎng dāng lǎo shī

He wants to be a teacher.

Illustration for 当 (be)

More examples

现在她在医院当护士。xiàn zài tā zài yī yuàn dāng hù shì

She is currently working as a nurse at the hospital.

Core concept

A person steps into a named role and takes responsibility for what that role requires.

Common phrases

  • 当老师dāng lǎo shī

    be a teacher

  • 当医生dāng yī shēng

    be a doctor

  • 当爸爸dāng bà bà

    be a father

Similar words

做zuò: Do a task or activity through actual action.
是shì: Express that a person or thing is in a certain role, state, or condition.

Definition in Chinese

充当某一角色或承担某项工作任务。chōng dāng mǒu yì jiǎo sè huò chéng dān mǒu xiàng gōng zuò rèn wù

Word origin

The character 当 (dāng, "to serve as") developed from an older idea of matching or occupying a fitting place, which led to serving in a role.

Usage tips

  • Chinese places 当 (dāng, "to serve as") before the role name, making the position being taken easy to spot in a sentence.

Other meanings

  • be in charge ofverb
  • be a homeroom teacherverb

Related words

Word lists with this word