take a snack; cover a deficit
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to have a small snack to stave off hunger; to take a bite to tide one over
informalCommonly used in spoken Chinese, often reduplicated as 垫补垫补.
Zhè这
lǐ里
yǒu有
bǐng饼
gān干
，
è饿
le了
kě可
yǐ以
xiān先
diǎn垫
bu补
diǎn垫
bu补
。
There are crackers here; if you're hungry, you can have a few to tide you over.
Wǎn晚
fàn饭
hái还
děi得
děng等
yī一
huì会
er儿
，
nǐ你
xiān先
diǎn垫
bu补
yī一
xià下
ba吧
。
Dinner will be a while; have a snack first.
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Zhōng中
wǔ午
méi没
chī吃
bǎo饱
，
xià下
wǔ午
zǒng总
děi得
diǎn垫
bu补
yī一
xià下
。
I didn't eat enough at lunch, so I'll need to grab a bite this afternoon.
verb
to make up a deficiency; to cover a deficit; to subsidize
Often used in financial contexts or when covering shortfalls.
Zhè这
gè个
yuè月
qián钱
bù不
gòu够
huā花
，
děi得
diǎn垫
bu补
yī一
xià下
。
I don't have enough money to spend this month, so I'll need to cover the shortfall.
Gōng公
sī司
xiān先
yòng用
bèi备
yòng用
jīn金
diǎn垫
bu补
zhè这
gè个
quē缺
kǒu口
。
The company will first use reserve funds to fill this gap.
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Fù父
mǔ母
měi每
yuè月
dōu都
gěi给
wǒ我
diǎn垫
bu补
yī一
xiē些
fáng房
zū租
。
My parents subsidize part of my rent every month.