当

dāng

HSK 4, 5

当 — dāng

1. onomatopoeia: ding dong (sound of a bell)

   门口传来一阵当当的敲钟声。 ménkǒu chuánlái yīzhèn dāng dāng de qiāo zhōngshēng — A ding-dong bell sound came from the doorway.

2. to be; to act as; to serve as

   他当老师已经十年了。 tā dāng lǎoshī yǐjīng shínián le — He has been a teacher for ten years.

3. to manage; to handle; to undertake

   这件事得有人当起来负责。 zhèjiàn shì dé yǒurén dāng qǐlái fùzé — Someone has to step up and take responsibility for this matter.

4. when; during (indicating time)

   当我到家的时候，天已经黑了。 dāng wǒ dào jiā de shíhòu tiān yǐjīng hēi le — When I arrived home, it was already dark.

5. ought; should (expressing duty or expectation)

   做错了事当承认错误。 zuò cuò liǎoshì dāng chéngrèncuòwù — When one makes a mistake, one ought to admit it.

6. just at; exactly at (a time or place); on the spot

   他当场承认了错误。 tā dāngchǎng chéngrèn le cuòwù — He admitted the mistake on the spot.

7. to match; to be equal to; to withstand

   他的能力当得上公司的经理。 tā de nénglì dāngdéshàng gōngsī de jīnglǐ — His ability is equal to being the company's manager.

当 — dàng

1. suitable; appropriate; fitting

   他处理事情很得当，让大家放心。 tā chǔlǐ shìqíng hěn dédàng ràng dàjiā fàngxīn — He handles things very appropriately, putting everyone at ease.

2. to replace; to regard as; to pawn (depending on context)

   他把这件事当成笑话来讲。 tā bǎ zhèjiàn shì dàngchéng xiàohuà láijiǎng — He treated this matter as a joke when telling it.

3. colloquial: to fail (a student) — to flunk

   他这次考试被当了。 tā zhècì kǎoshì bèi dāngle — He flunked this exam.