倒 (dào, dǎo): Translation, Pronunciation and Example Sentences

The Chinese word 倒 has multiple meanings and can be used in various contexts. One of its most common meanings is “to pour” or “to tip over”, as in “倒水” meaning “to pour water”. It can also mean “to invert” or “to turn upside down”, as in “倒车” meaning “to reverse a car”. In addition, 倒 can be used to express “contrary to expectations” or “unexpectedly”, as in “他倒很喜欢这个礼物” meaning “Surprisingly, he really likes this gift”.

Translation

dào
Verb: to pour, to reverse Adverb: on the contrary, instead

dǎo
Verb: to change (bus, train),

Pronunciation

dào

dǎo

Example Sentences

ChinesePinyinEngish
我把杯子倒了wǒ bǎ bēizi dào leI poured out the cup
他倒了一杯水tā dào le yī bēi shuǐHe poured a glass of water
这个杯子不容易倒zhège bēizi bù róngyì dàoThis cup is not easy to pour
我的酒倒了wǒ de jiǔ dào leMy wine spilled
她把咖啡倒在地上了tā bǎ kāfēi dào zài dìshàng leShe spilled the coffee on the floor
他把盘子倒掉了tā bǎ pánzi dào diào leHe dumped the plate
我们把水倒进了水壶wǒmen bǎ shuǐ dào jìn le shuǐhúWe poured water into the kettle
瓶子里的水倒完了píngzi lǐ de shuǐ dào wán leThe water in the bottle is all gone

HSK

倒 is part of HSK Level 5 in HSK 2.0. In the newer HSK 3.0 it is part of HSK Level 2.

Learning Card

Learning card for Chinese word 倒 with Pinyin and English Translation