Definitions

(verb) to gamble; to bet

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 赌, originating from its traditional form 賭, is structurally composed of the semantic component 貝, representing money or valuables, and the phonetic component 者, which supplies its pronunciation. This combination explicitly ties the act of gambling to monetary exchange, as 貝 historically denotes currency derived from items like cowrie shells. Over time, the character's form has maintained this left-right arrangement, and its primary meaning of staking money on an uncertain outcome has remained central, though it has occasionally expanded to encompass metaphorical uses involving risk or conjecture in various contexts.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我从不博。

Wǒ cóng bù dǔbó.

I never gamble.

博是非法行为。

Dǔbó shì fēifǎ xíngwéi.

Gambling is illegal behavior.

赢了很多钱。

Tā dǔ yíngle hěnduō qián.

He won a lot of money gambling.

我们打明天会不会下雨。

Wǒmen dǎdǔ míngtiān huì bù huì xià yǔ.

We bet on whether it will rain tomorrow.

如果你继续博,你会失去朋友。

Rúguǒ nǐ jìxù dǔbó, nǐ huì shīqù péngyǒu.

If you continue gambling, you will lose friends.

尽管博有风险,但有些人仍然沉迷其中。

Jǐnguǎn dǔbó yǒu fēngxiǎn, dàn yǒuxiē rén réngrán chénmí qízhōng.

Although gambling has risks, some people are still addicted to it.

为了戒除瘾,他寻求专业帮助。

Wèile jièchú dǔyǐn, tā xúnqiú zhuānyè bāngzhù.

In order to quit gambling addiction, he sought professional help.

在经历了博导致的家庭破裂后,他下定决心永远不再

Zài jīnglìle dǔbó dǎozhì de jiātíng pòliè hòu, tā xià dìng juéxīn yǒngyuǎn bù zài dǔ.

After experiencing family breakdown caused by gambling, he made up his mind to never gamble again.