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倒

dào / dǎo

倒dào

1. adverb on the contrary; contrary to expectation

   你不说我倒忘了。

   Nǐ bù shuō wǒ dào wàng le.

   If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten.

2. adverb actually; admittedly (conceding a point before a turn)

   东西倒不错，就是太贵。

   Dōngxi dào bùcuò, jiùshì tài guì.

   The thing itself is fine, only too expensive.

3. adverb used to urge or press someone (impatient)

   你倒是说话呀！

   Nǐ dàoshì shuōhuà ya!

   Come on, say something!

4. verb to be upside down; to reverse

   这幅画挂倒了。

   Zhè fú huà guà dào le.

   This painting is hung upside down.

5. verb to pour out; to empty (a container)

   请给我倒一杯水。

   Qǐng gěi wǒ dào yī bēi shuǐ.

   Please pour me a glass of water.

6. verb to move backwards; to back up

   他把车倒进了车库。

   Tā bǎ chē dào jìn le chēkù.

   He backed the car into the garage.

倒dǎo

1. verb to fall over; to topple

   大树被风刮倒了。

   Dà shù bèi fēng guā dǎo le.

   The big tree was blown down by the wind.

2. verb to go under; to collapse (of a business)

   那家公司去年倒了。

   Nà jiā gōngsī qùnián dǎo le.

   That company went under last year.

3. verb to change; to swap (shifts, buses)

   去机场得倒一次车。

   Qù jīchǎng děi dǎo yī cì chē.

   You have to change buses once to get to the airport.

The full ChinesePath dictionary entry for 倒 includes audio for every reading and example sentence, more example sentences, collocations, synonyms and links to the course units where it is taught.