tinker with; deal in
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to tinker with; to fiddle with repeatedly; to mess around with
dialectImplies idle or curious manipulation of objects, often mechanical or electronic items. Common in northern dialects.
Tā他
xià下
le了
bān班
jiù就
ài爱
dǎo捣
gu鼓
nà那
xiē些
wú无
xiàn线
diàn电
yuán元
jiàn件
。
He loves tinkering with those radio components after work.
Bié别
zhěng整
tiān天
dǎo捣
gu鼓
nǐ你
nà那
tái台
jiù旧
diàn电
nǎo脑
le了
，
gāi该
huàn换
xīn新
de的
le了
。
Stop fiddling with that old computer all day; it's time to get a new one.
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Yé爷
ye爷
tuì退
xiū休
hòu后
，
zhěng整
tiān天
zài在
jiā家
dǎo捣
gu鼓
huā花
huā花
cǎo草
cǎo草
。
After retiring, grandpa spends all day at home messing around with flowers and plants.
verb
to deal in; to trade; to buy and sell; to run a small business
dialectRefers to small-scale commercial activities, often implying speculative or petty trading. Can carry a slightly informal or marginal connotation.
Tā他
zhè这
jǐ几
nián年
yī一
zhí直
dǎo捣
gu鼓
èr二
shǒu手
chē车
shēng生
yì意
，
zhuàn赚
le了
bù不
shǎo少
qián钱
。
He has been dealing in used cars for the past few years and has made quite a bit of money.
Tuì退
xiū休
hòu后
，
tā他
zài在
shì市
chǎng场
dǎo捣
gu鼓
diǎn点
er儿
xiǎo小
mǎi买
mai卖
，
dǎ打
fā发
shí时
jiān间
。
After retiring, he runs a small business at the market to pass the time.
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Nǐ你
bié别
dǎo捣
gu鼓
nà那
xiē些
wéi违
fǎ法
de的
dōng东
xi西
，
xiǎo小
xīn心
bèi被
zhuā抓
。
Don't deal in those illegal goods; be careful or you'll get caught.