Definition
斗殴 is a formal or literary verb for 'to brawl' or 'to engage in a physical fight', commonly used in legal and news contexts (e.g., 聚众斗殴 'group brawl'). It is more formal than the everyday verb 打架; if you translate the English gloss 'fight' back into Chinese, you'd likely get 打架, so be careful to use 斗殴 only in appropriate formal or written situations.
v.
to brawlto engage in a physical fight (formal/literary)
Examples
- 斗殴。Tāmen bèi jiānkòng pāi dào zài jiē shàng dòu ōu.They were caught on surveillance brawling on the street.
- 斗殴。Jǐngfāng xùnsù zhìzhǐ le zhè chǎng dòu ōu.The police quickly stopped this brawl.
- 斗殴。dòu ōu shì wéifǎ de xíngwéi.Brawling is an illegal act.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.