拍拖

拍拖

Chinese

		to cable; to wire	to drag
trad. (拍拖)		拍	拖
simp. #(拍拖)		拍	拖

Etymology

Originally Cantonese from the Pearl River Delta region, meaning "hitched together" (of row-boat attached to motor-boat). Usually, the larger ship carries the cargo and drags the boat. The main channel is greatly dragged. When the shore is near, the larger ship is stuck in deep water and has difficulty docking. At this time, the boat unloads the cargo and goes back and forth, thus giving rise to the dating analogy.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): pāituō

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄞ ㄊㄨㄛ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): paak³ to¹
• Hakka (Meixian, Guangdong): pag⁵ to¹
• Min Nan (POJ): phah-tho / phah-tho͘

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pāituō
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄞ ㄊㄨㄛ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: paituo
    • Wade–Giles: pʻai¹-tʻo¹
    • Yale: pāi-twō
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: paituo
    • Palladius: пайто (pajto)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ tʰwɔ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: paak³ to¹
    • Yale: paak tō
    • Cantonese Pinyin: paak⁸ to¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: pag³ to¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰaːk̚³ tʰɔː⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: pag⁵ to¹
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰak̚¹ tʰo⁴⁴/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: phah-tho
    • Tâi-lô: phah-tho
    • Phofsit Daibuun: phahtoy
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pʰa(ʔ)⁵ tʰo³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /pʰa(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ tʰo⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Penang, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: phah-tho͘
    • Tâi-lô: phah-thoo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: phahtof
    • IPA (Singapore): /pʰa(ʔ)³²⁻⁴² tʰɔ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Penang): /pʰa(ʔ)³⁻⁴ tʰɔ³³/

Note: phah-tho͘ - from Cantonese.

Verb

拍拖

1. (colloquial, intransitive) to date somebody; to go on a date with somebody

   我唔想同公司嘅同事拍拖。 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

   ngo⁵ m⁴ soeng² tung⁴ gung¹ si¹ ge³ tung⁴ si⁶ paak³ to¹. [Jyutping]

   I do not want to date a colleague at work.

   佢哋拍咗拖兩年喇。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   佢哋拍咗拖两年喇。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   keoi⁵ dei⁶ paak³ zo² to¹ loeng⁵ nin⁴ laa³. [Jyutping]

   They've been dating for two years.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 談戀愛 (“to be in a romantic relationship; to be dating; to go out”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		談戀愛
Mandarin	Beijing	搞對象
	Tianjin	搞對象, 交朋友
	Chengde	搞對象兒
	Tangshan	搞對象
	Cangzhou	搞對象
	Baoding	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Shijiazhuang	搞對象
	Chifeng	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	搞對象, 交朋友
	Heihe	戀愛, 搞對象, 處朋友
	Qiqihar	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Harbin	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 處對象, 處朋友
	Jiamusi	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 處朋友
	Baicheng	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友
	Changchun	談戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友
	Tonghua	搞對象兒
	Shenyang	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友
	Dandong	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友
	Jinzhou	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象兒, 交朋友
	Dalian	搞對象
	Yantai	搞對象兒
	Qingdao	談戀愛
	Lijin	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Zhucheng	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Jinan	談戀愛, 談對象, 搞對象
	Jining	戀愛, 相好兒
	Luoyang	談戀愛, 戀愛
	Shangqiu	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Yuanyang	談戀愛, 戀愛, 交朋友, 搞對象
	Zhengzhou	談戀愛
	Lingbao	戀愛
	Xinyang	談戀愛
	Baihe	談戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友
	Hanzhong	談戀愛, 戀愛, 交朋友, 搞對象
	Xi'an	談戀愛, 戀愛, 交朋友, 搞對象
	Baoji	談戀愛, 戀愛, 尋對象
	Yinchuan	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Tianshui	戀愛, 搞對象, 說媳婦
	Lanzhou	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象
	Dunhuang	戀愛, 找對象
	Xining	戀愛
	Hami	找對象
	Ürümqi	談戀愛, 談對象
	Wuhan	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友
	Yichang	談戀愛, 戀愛, 找朋友, 找對象
	Xiangyang	談戀愛, 戀愛, 交朋友
	Tianmen	談戀愛, 戀愛, 交朋友
	Hong'an	談戀愛, 戀愛, 找對象, 找朋友
	Chengdu	談戀愛, 耍朋友
	Nanchong	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 耍朋友
	Dazhou	耍朋友
	Hanyuan	講戀愛, 耍朋友
	Xichang	談戀愛, 戀愛, 耍朋友, 交朋友
	Zigong	談戀愛, 耍朋友
	Chongqing	講戀愛, 耍朋友
	Guiyang	談戀愛, 戀愛, 談朋友
	Zunyi	說媳婦, 談媳婦, 談朋友
	Bijie	戀愛, 玩朋友
	Liping	搞對象
	Zhaotong	談戀愛
	Dali	談對象
	Kunming	談戀愛, 戀愛, 交朋友, 搞對象
	Mengzi	談戀愛
	Guilin	交朋友
Liuzhou	談戀愛, 戀愛, 談朋友, 拍拖, 談婚 dated
Jishou	戀愛
Changde	戀愛
Anqing	談戀愛
Xuzhou	談戀愛, 談對象
Fuyang	戀愛, 談對象
Wuhu	談戀愛, 戀愛
Yangzhou	談戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友, 談人, 談人家
Lianyungang	談戀愛, 戀愛, 搞對象, 談對象
Lianshui	談戀愛, 搞對象
Nanjing	談戀愛, 談對象, 談親事
Hefei	談戀愛, 找對象
Nantong	談戀愛
Singapore	談戀愛
Cantonese	Guangzhou	拍拖, 拖手仔, 行街, 談戀愛
	Hong Kong	拍拖, 拖手仔, 談戀愛, 行埋
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	拍拖
	Macau	拍拖, 拖手仔
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	拍拖
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	拍拖
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	拍拖
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	拍拖
	Foshan	拍拖
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	拍拖
	Foshan (Shunde)	拍拖
	Foshan (Sanshui)	拍拖
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	拍拖
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	拍拖
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	拍拖
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	偷豆, 掹葵尾
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	拍拖
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	拍拖
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	拍拖
	Taishan	拍拖
	Kaiping (Chikan)	拍拖
	Enping (Niujiang)	拍拖
	Heshan (Yayao)	拍拖
	Dongguan	拍拖
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	拍拖
	Singapore (Guangfu)	拍拖
Hakka	Meixian	談戀愛, 拍拖
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	拍拖
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	戀愛
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	拍拖
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	談婚
	Conghua (Lütian)	談婚
Huizhou	Shexian	談戀愛
Jin	Taiyuan	搞對象, 戀愛
	Yangyuan	戀愛, 搞對象, 交朋友
	Datong	搞對象
	Xinzhou	戀愛, 搞對象
	Lishi	談戀愛, 找對象, 搞對象
	Linfen	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Changzhi	找對象
	Linhe	找對象
	Jining	找對象
	Hohhot	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Erenhot	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Pingshan	搞戀愛
	Zhangjiakou	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Handan	戀愛, 搞對象
	Linzhou	談戀愛, 搞對象
	Suide	搞對象
Min Nan	Penang (Hokkien)	拍拖
	Singapore (Hokkien)	拍拖
	Shantou	相悅, 戀愛
	Singapore (Teochew)	拍拖
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	拍拖
	Sanxiang	行, 相行, 拍拖
Wu	Shanghai	談戀愛, 談朋友, 談敲定, 軋朋友
	Hangzhou	談朋友, 交朋友
	Ningbo	談朋友, 找對象, 軋朋友

Derived terms

拖友

Descendants

• → English: paktor