当 (dāng)

Basic Explanation

"当" is a versatile Chinese character that can serve as a verb, preposition, or adverb, depending on the context. It can mean "to be," "to act as," "when," or "should," among other meanings. Its specific use and meaning are determined by its placement and the accompanying words in a sentence.

Usage

Here are some common usages of "当":

• As a verb:

  他当老师。
  (Tā dāng lǎoshī.)
  - He works as a teacher.

• As a preposition meaning "when":

  当他到达时，会议已经开始了。
  (Dāng tā dàodá shí, huìyì yǐjīng kāishǐ le.)
  - When he arrived, the meeting had already started.

• As an adverb meaning "should" or "ought to":

  你当努力学习。
  (Nǐ dāng nǔlì xuéxí.)
  - You should study hard.

Examples

Here are some example sentences with "当" to illustrate its usage:

• 当我还是个孩子时，我喜欢踢足球。
  (Dāng wǒ háishì gè háizi shí, wǒ xǐhuān tī zúqiú.)
  - When I was a child, I liked to play soccer.
• 他当上了公司的经理。
  (Tā dāng shàngle gōngsī de jīnglǐ.)
  - He became the manager of the company.
• 当心点！这里很危险。
  (Dāngxīn diǎn! Zhèlǐ hěn wēixiǎn.)
  - Be careful! It's very dangerous here.