讨 (tǎo): to discuss
讨 (tǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “to discuss.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 讠 (structural) and 寸 (structural). It ranks #833 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 讨 to ask 讠 for something 寸. Its radical form 讠 (speech) appears in many related characters such as 认 (rèn, to recognize, to admit), 记 (jì, to remember, to record), 识 (shí, to know, knowledge).
Definitions
- to discuss
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo ask 讠 for something 寸
Decomposition: ⿰讠寸 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 讨 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 讨
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 讨厌adjective/verb | tǎo yàn | to dislike | 4 |
| 讨论verb | tǎo lùn | to discuss | 4 |
| 探讨verb | tàn tǎo | to investigate | 6 |
| 研讨verb | yán tǎo | discussion | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 讨好 | tǎo hǎo | to get the desired outcome |
| 讨价还价 | tǎo jià huán jià | to haggle over price |
| 研讨会 | yán tǎo huì | discussion forum |
| 商讨 | shāng tǎo | to discuss |
| 乞讨 | qǐ tǎo | to beg |
| 讨论会 | tǎo lùn huì | symposium |
| 自讨苦吃 | zì tǎo kǔ chī | (idiom) to ask for trouble |
| 讨伐 | tǎo fá | to suppress by armed force |
| 讨债 | tǎo zhài | to demand repayment |
| 检讨 | jiǎn tǎo | to examine or inspect |
| 讨教 | tǎo jiào | to consult |
| 声讨 | shēng tǎo | to denounce |
| 讨还 | tǎo huán | to ask for sth back |
| 讨饭 | tǎo fàn | to ask for food |
| 讨巧 | tǎo qiǎo | to act cleverly to get what one desires |
讨 appears in 63 compound words: 63 as the first character, 21 as the last, and 16 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 讨 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
Example Sentences
我们需要讨论一下预算问题，目前的支出超出了预期。
Wǒmen xūyào tǎolùn yíxià yùsuàn wèntí, mùqián de zhīchū chāochū le yùqī.
We need to discuss the budget issue; current expenses have exceeded expectations.
...388.HK)年内完成航天企业上市相关检讨并提出谘询
. . . 3 8 8 . H K ) nián nèi wán chéng háng tiān qǐ yè shàng shì xiāng guān jiǎn tǎo bìng tí chū 谘 xún
... 388.HK) Completed the review and consultation related to the listing of aerospace enterprises during the year
全球治理研讨会暨《新时代治国理政纪实》第一卷英文版发...
quán qiú zhì lǐ yán tǎo huì jì xīn shí dài zhì guó lǐ zhèng jì shí dì yī juǎn yīng wén bǎn fā . . .
[Translation pending - quota exceeded]
路透:中美代表团24日瑞士会晤 讨论核军控问题
lù tòu : zhōng měi dài biǎo tuán 2 4 rì ruì shì huì wù tǎo lùn hé jūn kòng wèn tí
Reuters: Chinese and US delegations met in Switzerland on the 24th to discuss nuclear arms control
被欠钱“拖过年” 女撂男友讨债砍前任一家三代
bèi qiàn qián tuō guò nián nǚ 撂 nán yǒu tǎo zhài kǎn qián rèn yī jiā sān dài
Woman's boyfriend owes her money, drags her through the New Year. She dumps him to collect, then attacks his entire family.
纵管处启动鲤鱼潭水域安全全面检讨 将与地方协力强化管理机制
zòng guǎn chǔ qǐ dòng 鲤 yú tán shuǐ yù ān quán quán miàn jiǎn tǎo jiāng yǔ dì fāng xié lì qiáng huà guǎn lǐ jī zhì
The Waterways Management Office has launched a comprehensive safety review of the Liyutan water area and will collaborate with local authorities to strengthen management mechanisms.
无论怎样，都很讨厌，不是吗？
Wúlùn zěnyàng, dōu hěn tǎoyàn, bùshìma?
In any case, it's troublesome, isn't it?
非常好。你去了今天的历史研讨会吗？
Fēicháng hǎo. nǐ qù le jīntiān de lìshǐ yántǎohuì ma?
Pretty good. Did you go to today's history seminar?
你喜欢讨论建筑，不是吗？
Nǐ xǐhuan tǎolùn jiànzhù, bù shì ma?
You like to talk about architecture, don't you?
到现在为止我们讨论什么来着？
Dàoxiànzài wéizhǐ wǒmen tǎolùn shénme láizhe?
Remind me again what we've been discussing up to now?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 讨 (tǎo) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 讨?
What are the components of 讨?
What are common words containing 讨?
What characters sound the same as 讨 (tǎo)?
Is 讨 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 讨 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.