倒

dào
HSK 5
#608 most
frequent character
to move backwards, converse
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

倒 has 亻 person as the meaning part and 到 dào as the sound part. It first meant to fall forward or fall down. Read dào, it also grew to mean invert and pour.

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Example Sentences

他把椅子倒过来了。
tā bǎ yǐzǐ dǎo guòlái le 。
He turned the chair upside down.
你需要倒车吗？
nǐ xūyào dǎo chē ma ？
Do you need to reverse the car?
他在倒水。
tāzài dǎoshuǐ 。
He is pouring water.

Words with similar meanings

逆行nìxíng
to go backwards
More formal, typically used in specific contexts like driving or walking.
倒退dàotuì
to retreat
Implies a deliberate movement back; might have a sense of retreating from a position.

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