dǎjià: 打架 - To Fight, Scuffle, Come to Blows

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• Summary: Learn how to say “to fight” in Chinese with the word 打架 (dǎjià). This entry breaks down the meaning, cultural context, and practical usage of this common term. Discover why engaging in a dǎjià (a physical fight or scuffle) is viewed differently in China than in the West, and learn the crucial difference between a physical fight (打架) and a verbal argument (吵架). This guide is perfect for beginners wanting to understand the real-world use and cultural nuances of fighting in the Chinese language.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): dǎjià
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 3
• Concise Definition: To engage in a physical fight, to scuffle, to come to blows.
• In a Nutshell: 打架 (dǎjià) refers to a physical altercation between two or more people. It's the general, everyday word for a fight. Think of kids roughhousing in a playground, two drunk men brawling outside a bar, or a heated argument that escalates into pushing and shoving. It's almost always viewed as immature, chaotic, and a loss of self-control.

• 打 (dǎ): This character's core meaning is “to hit,” “to strike,” or “to beat.” The radical on the left, 扌, is a stylized version of 手 (shǒu), the character for “hand.” This radical is found in many characters related to actions you do with your hands, making it easy to remember that 打 involves a physical action.
• 架 (jià): This character can mean “frame,” “rack,” “stand,” or “to support.” Here, it evokes the idea of a structure or a posture.
• Together: 打架 (dǎjià) literally translates to “hit a frame.” You can picture this as two people forming a “frame” as they clash, or striking at each other's posture or stance. It vividly paints a picture of a physical confrontation.

In Chinese culture, maintaining social harmony (和谐, héxié) and preserving one's “face” or social dignity (面子, miànzi) are paramount. Resorting to a physical fight (打架) is seen as a profound failure on both fronts. It is considered a base, uncivilized, and deeply embarrassing way to resolve a dispute. This contrasts with some Western contexts where a “fair fight” can sometimes be seen as a legitimate, if last-ditch, way to settle an argument or even earn respect. In China, however, the act of 打架 almost universally results in a loss of face for everyone involved, regardless of who “wins.” It signifies a lack of intelligence, patience, and self-control. An educated, respectable person is expected to resolve conflicts through words, mediation, or strategic patience—never through brute force. Getting into a fight can bring shame not just upon oneself, but also upon one's family.

打架 is a very common, informal word used in everyday conversation.

• Informal Contexts: It's most frequently used to describe non-lethal, spontaneous fights. For example, you'll hear it used for children fighting over a toy, neighbors arguing loudly and then shoving each other, or people brawling after drinking too much at a KTV.
• Negative Connotation: The term is overwhelmingly negative. Calling someone an 爱打架的人 (ài dǎjià de rén), “a person who loves to fight,” is a strong insult, painting them as a hot-headed, uncivilized troublemaker.
• In the News: While 斗殴 (dòu'ōu) is a more formal/legal term for “brawl” or “affray,” news headlines might still use 打架 to describe a public scuffle to be more direct and accessible to the general public.

• Example 1:
  • 别打架了！老师来了！
  • Pinyin: Bié dǎjià le! Lǎoshī lái le!
  • English: Stop fighting! The teacher is coming!
  • Analysis: A classic example of a command you'd hear in a schoolyard. 别 (bié) is used to mean “don't.”
• Example 2:
  • 他们昨天晚上喝多了，就打架了。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen zuótiān wǎnshàng hē duō le, jiù dǎjià le.
  • English: They drank too much last night and then got into a fight.
  • Analysis: This sentence shows a common cause-and-effect scenario. The particle 就 (jiù) connects the two clauses, indicating that the second action (fighting) happened right after the first (drinking too much).
• Example 3:
  • 我弟弟不喜欢打架，他很温和。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ dìdi bù xǐhuān dǎjià, tā hěn wēnhé.
  • English: My little brother doesn't like to fight; he's very gentle.
  • Analysis: This highlights the negative connotation of 打架. It's contrasted with being 温和 (wēnhé), or “gentle/mild-mannered.”
• Example 4:
  • 你为什么跟他打架？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ wèishéme gēn tā dǎjià?
  • English: Why did you fight with him?
  • Analysis: The structure 跟 (gēn) + [someone] + 打架 is the standard way to say “to fight *with* someone.”
• Example 5:
  • 这两只猫为了抢食物经常打架。
  • Pinyin: Zhè liǎng zhī māo wèile qiǎng shíwù jīngcháng dǎjià.
  • English: These two cats often fight to get food.
  • Analysis: 打架 can also be used for animals, not just people. 为了 (wèile) means “in order to” or “for the sake of.”
• Example 6:
  • 在公共场所打架是违法的。
  • Pinyin: Zài gōnggòng chǎngsuǒ dǎjià shì wéifǎ de.
  • English: Fighting in a public place is against the law.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses 打架 as the subject of the sentence, showing its grammatical flexibility.
• Example 7:
  • 他们先是吵架，后来就打起来了。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen xiān shì chǎojià, hòulái jiù dǎ qǐlái le.
  • English: First they argued, and then they started to fight.
  • Analysis: A great example showing the progression from a verbal argument (吵架, chǎojià) to a physical one. 打起来 (dǎ qǐlái) is a common variation meaning “to start fighting.”
• Example 8:
  • 如果你再碰我，我们就得打架了。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ nǐ zài pèng wǒ, wǒmen jiù děi dǎjià le.
  • English: If you touch me again, we're going to have to fight.
  • Analysis: This is a direct warning or threat. 得 (děi) means “must” or “have to,” indicating an unavoidable consequence.
• Example 9:
  • 解决问题有很多方法，打架是最糟糕的一种。
  • Pinyin: Jiějué wèntí yǒu hěn duō fāngfǎ, dǎjià shì zuì zāogāo de yī zhǒng.
  • English: There are many ways to solve problems; fighting is the worst one.
  • Analysis: This sentence perfectly encapsulates the cultural view of 打架 as a poor solution.
• Example 10:
  • 我看见有两个人正在街上打架。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ kànjiàn yǒu liǎng ge rén zhèngzài jiē shàng dǎjià.
  • English: I saw two people fighting on the street.
  • Analysis: 正在 (zhèngzài) indicates an action in progress, equivalent to the “-ing” form in English.

• Crucial Difference: 打架 (dǎjià) vs. 吵架 (chǎojià)
  • This is the most common point of confusion for learners.
  • 打架 (dǎjià): Physical fight. The character 打 (dǎ) means “to hit.”
  • 吵架 (chǎojià): Verbal fight or argument. The character 吵 (chǎo) means “noisy.”
  • Incorrect: ~~我们打架了，但是没有动手。~~ (Wǒmen dǎjià le, dànshì méiyǒu dòngshǒu.) → “We fought, but we didn't get physical.” This is contradictory.
  • Correct: 我们吵架了，但是没有动手。 (Wǒmen chǎojià le, dànshì méiyǒu dòngshǒu.) → “We argued, but we didn't get physical.”
• False Friend: “To Fight For a Cause”
  • You cannot use 打架 to mean “fighting for your rights” or “fighting against poverty.” 打架 is strictly a personal, physical scuffle.
  • Incorrect: ~~他在为他的人权打架。~~ (Tā zài wèi tā de rénquán dǎjià.)
  • Correct: 他在为他的人权而奋斗。 (Tā zài wèi tā de rénquán ér fèndòu.) → “He is striving/fighting for his human rights.”
  • Correct: 他在为他的人权而战。 (Tā zài wèi tā de rénquán ér zhàn.) → “He is battling for his human rights.”
• 打架 (dǎjià) vs. 战斗 (zhàndòu)
  • 打架 (dǎjià) is for personal, often spontaneous brawls.
  • 战斗 (zhàndòu) means “battle” or “combat” and is used in a military or highly organized, serious context. You would never say two armies started to 打架.

• 吵架 (chǎojià) - To argue, to quarrel. The direct verbal counterpart to the physical 打架.
• 打人 (dǎ rén) - To hit/beat a person. This describes the one-way action of hitting someone, whereas 打架 implies a mutual fight.
• 斗殴 (dòu'ōu) - A brawl, an affray. A more formal, often legal, term for a group fight. Carries a more serious weight than 打架.
• 冲突 (chōngtū) - Conflict. A broad, formal term that can refer to any kind of conflict, from physical to ideological.
• 战斗 (zhàndòu) - Battle, combat. Used for military or large-scale, organized fighting.
• 功夫 (gōngfu) - Martial arts, Kung Fu. The disciplined, skillful art of fighting, representing control and training—the philosophical opposite of a chaotic 打架.
• 暴力 (bàolì) - Violence. A general and abstract noun for the concept of violence.
• 面子 (miànzi) - “Face,” social standing, dignity. This is what is severely lost when one gets into a 打架.
• 和谐 (héxié) - Harmony. The societal goal that is disrupted by acts like 打架.