对 duì — couple; pair; to be opposite; to oppose; to face; for
你说得很对。Nǐ shuō de hěn duì.What you said is very correct.
Common words: 对不起 (duì bu qǐ)、不对 (bù duì)、对话 (duì huà)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "pair"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "pair", including 对 (duì), 双 (shuāng), 偶 (ǒu). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "pair" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 对 (duì), 双 (shuāng), 偶 (ǒu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span duì, shuāng, ǒu — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 对 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 对 duìcouple; pair; to be opposite; to oppose; to face; forUseful words: 对不起, 不对
- 双 shuāngtwo; double; pair; bothUseful words: 双方, 双手
- 偶 ǒuaccidental; image; pair; mateUseful words: 偶尔, 偶像
Common words for these 3 "pair" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 对 (duì) — so "pair" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
对不起duì bu qǐI'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down不对bù duìincorrect; wrong; amiss; abnormal对话duì huàto talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation双方shuāng fāngbilateral; both sides; both parties involved双手shuāng shǒuboth hands双胞胎shuāng bāo tāitwin偶尔ǒu ěroccasionally; once in a while; sometimes偶像ǒu xiàngidol偶然ǒu ránincidentally; occasional; occasionally; by chance
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "pair".
双 shuāng — two; double; pair; both
她给我买了一双新鞋。Tā gěi wǒ mǎi le yì shuāng xīn xié.She bought me a new pair of shoes.
Common words: 双方 (shuāng fāng)、双手 (shuāng shǒu)、双胞胎 (shuāng bāo tāi)
偶 ǒu — accidental; image; pair; mate
我们俩只是偶然认识的。Wǒ men liǎ zhǐ shì ǒu rán rèn shi de.The two of us met merely by chance.
Common words: 偶尔 (ǒu ěr)、偶像 (ǒu xiàng)、偶然 (ǒu rán)
All 3 characters
Open 对、双、偶 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.