倒

2 readings · tap one to hear it

to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally; to fail; to go bankrupt; to overthrow; to change (trains or buses); to move around; to resell at a profit

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

亻 meaning “person” + 到 sound ( dào )

Components 亻到

upside down · Heisig RSH #819

人 person + 到 arrive

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
一面倒	yī miàn dǎo	to be entirely on one side; one-sided; lopsided; partisan; overwhelmingly on one side
开倒车	kāi dào chē	to drive in reverse; fig. to take a backward step; retrogressive; trying to turn the clock…
东风压倒西风	dōng fēng yā dǎo xī fēng	lit. the east wind prevails over the west wind (idiom); fig. one side prevails over the ot…
倒头	dǎo tóu	to lie down; to die
倒过儿	dào guò r	the wrong way round (back to front, inside out etc)
倒地	dǎo dì	to fall to the ground
拉倒	lā dǎo	(coll.) forget it; drop it; let it go; to pull down
倒手	dǎo shǒu	to shift from one hand to the other; to change hands (of merchandise)
倒背手儿	dào bèi shǒu r	erhua variant of 倒背手[dao4 bei4 shou3]
倒下	dǎo xià	to collapse; to topple over
难不倒	nán bù dǎo	not to pose a problem for sb; cannot stump sb
倒车	dǎo chē	to change buses, trains etc
倒车	dào chē	to reverse (a vehicle); to drive backwards
倒开	dào kāi	to reverse a vehicle; to drive backwards
倒数	dào shǔ	to count backwards (from 10 down to 0); to count down; from the bottom (lines on a page); …
倒数	dào shù	inverse number; reciprocal (math.)
头倒立	tóu dào lì	headstand
打倒	dǎ dǎo	to overthrow; to knock down; Down with ... !
一边倒	yī biān dǎo	to have the advantage overwhelmingly on one side; to support unconditionally
手倒立	shǒu dào lì	handstand