Definition
招呼 is a versatile verb with several related senses: (1) to greet or call out to someone, (2) to notify or give a heads-up, and (3) to take care of or attend to someone (e.g., 招呼客人 'look after guests'). It's commonly used in the separable verb phrase 打招呼, which can mean either 'to greet' or 'to informally notify/ask permission', and splits as 打個招呼 / 打了招呼. In some dialects it can also mean 'to get into a fight', but this is regional. The word is used both as a verb and occasionally as a noun ('a greeting').
v./n.
to greetto say hello toto notifyto tellto give advance noticeto take care ofto look after (guests, needs)
Examples
- 招呼。Wǒ gēn tā dǎ le ge zhāo hu jiù líkāi le.I greeted him quickly and left.
- 招呼，。Nǐ qù zhāo hu yíxià, kànkan tāmen yǒu shénme xūyào.Go and attend to them, see what they need.
- 招呼，。Lái zhīqián zuìhǎo dǎ ge zhāo hu, miǎnde pūkōng.It's best to notify them in advance so you don't make a wasted trip.
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