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to wear (accessories)

dài
17 strokes · 異-derived top (to raise) + 戈-containing frame — lifting something onto the head · HSK 2

Where 戴 comes from

戴 drew hands lifting a mask or ornament onto the head — wearing as a deliberate ceremony. Chinese splits 'wear' by method: clothes are 穿 (pierced through by limbs), but hats, glasses, watches, and jewelry are 戴 — raised and placed.

戴 in Chinese culture

戴 things carry status: 戴红领巾 the red scarf of schoolchildren, 戴戒指 the ring that announces engagement. 不共戴天 'cannot wear the same sky' is the idiom for irreconcilable enemies — the sky itself as something jointly worn.

Example

戴上 dàishang — to put on

他戴着一块手表。
Tā dài zhe yí kuài shǒubiǎo.
He's wearing a watch.

How to remember it

Ceremonially lifting something onto your head — you WEAR it (hat, glasses, crown).

戴高乐 is de Gaulle's Chinese name — 'wears high happiness', possibly history's most flattering transliteration.

Same sound, different tones

1st dāi
dazed
3rd dǎi
wicked
4th dài
to wear

Words unlocked by 戴

戴帽子 dài màozi
to wear a hat
戴眼镜 dài yǎnjìng
to wear glasses
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