讨

tǎo

HSK 7

讨 — tǎo

1. to invite; to ask someone to do something (often politely request)

   他常常向老师讨教写作的技巧。 tā chángcháng xiàng lǎoshī tǎojiào xiězuò de jìqiǎo — He often seeks the teacher's advice on writing techniques.

2. to provoke; to annoy; to pick a quarrel with

   别去故意讨他，他今天脾气不好。 bié qù gùyì tǎo tā tā jīntiān píqì bùhǎo — Don't deliberately provoke him; he's in a bad mood today.

3. to demand or ask for (something, e.g., money, concessions)

   工会讨加薪的要求已经提交给公司。 gōnghuì tǎo jiāxīn de yāoqiú yǐjīng tíjiāo gěi gōngsī — The union's demand for a raise has already been submitted to the company.

4. to send armed forces to suppress (rare, formal, military usage)

   朝政府决定讨匪以恢复边境秩序。 cháo zhèngfǔ juédìng tǎo fěi yǐ huīfù biānjìng zhìxù — The government decided to send forces to suppress the bandits to restore border order.

5. to denounce or condemn

   大会上代表们讨这种腐败行为并要求惩处。 dàhuì shàng dàibiǎo men tǎo zhèzhǒng fǔbài xíngwéi bìng yāoqiú chéngchǔ — At the meeting representatives denounced this corrupt behavior and demanded punishment.

6. to marry (a woman) — used from the husband's side (old-fashioned)

   他去年讨了一个城里女孩，现在住在一起了。 tā qùnián tǎo le yígè chénglǐ nǚhái xiànzài zhùzàiyìqǐ le — He married a city girl last year; they now live together.

7. to discuss or study (a topic)

   今天的会议主要讨论项目的进度和预算问题。 jīntiān de huìyì zhǔyào tǎolùn xiàngmù dì jìndù hé yùsuàn wèntí — Today's meeting mainly discusses the project's progress and budget issues.