Definition
倒掉 (dǎo diào) is a verb phrase formed by the verb 倒 (dǎo, 'to fall') plus the resultative complement 掉 ('off, away'). It means something falls over, topples, or collapses completely. Be careful: the same characters are also pronounced dào diào, meaning 'to pour out (liquid) and discard' — a completely different sense. This entry covers only the dǎo reading (fall/falling over).
v
to fall overto toppleto collapse
Examples
- 倒掉。Dà fēng bǎ dà shù chuī dǎo le.The strong wind blew the big tree over.
- 倒掉，。Qiáng shàng de xiàngkuàng dǎo le, shuāi suì le.The picture frame on the wall fell off and broke.
- ！倒掉。Xiǎoxīn! Yǐzi kuài dǎo le.Be careful! The chair is about to topple over.
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