Meaning
to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during
Chinese: 担任、应当或正在某时。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “dang” becomes a different word in each tone. 当 is the 1st tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 当时dāng shíthen; at that time
- 当然dāng ránonly natural; as it should be; certainly; of course
- 相当xiāng dāngequivalent to; appropriate; considerably; to a certain extent
- 当地dāng dìlocal
- 当中dāng zhōngamong; in the middle; in the center
Example Sentence
当老师来的时候，大家都安静了。Dāng lǎo shī lái de shí hou, dà jiā dōu ān jìng le.When the teacher came, everyone became quiet.
当Dāng(onom.) dong老师lǎo shīteacher来láito come的deof时候shí houtime，大家dà jiāeveryone都dōuall安静ān jìngquiet了le(completed action)。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
Simplified from 當 (尚 sound over 田 field). It means ‘to be, to serve as; ought; to face; just at (a time)’ (dāng); ‘appropriate; to pawn; to regard as’ (dàng).
A way to remember it
dāng = to serve as / just when; dàng = appropriate / to pawn.