打扮
to dress up; to make up
dǎban
What does 打扮 mean?
打扮 (dǎban) is a verb meaning 'to dress up, groom, or make oneself look a certain way' — it covers choosing clothes, doing hair, and applying makeup as a whole act of styling one's appearance. It is neutral and very common in daily speech, often reflexive: 打扮自己 (dress oneself up) or 打扮得很漂亮 (dressed up beautifully). It can also be a noun meaning 'the way someone is dressed / one's getup.'
Two things differ from English: first, 打扮 is broader than 'put on makeup' — it means the whole styled look, so a man in a sharp suit is also 打扮; second, 打扮成 means 'to dress up AS (something),' as in 打扮成一只猫 (dress up as a cat) for a costume. The second syllable 扮 is toneless here (dǎban).
Character breakdown
to do; to make; light action verb
to disguise; to play a role; to dress as
Memory hook: 扮 shares 分 with 'role' — 打扮 is 'doing your look,' styling yourself for the part.
Example sentences
她每天早上都要打扮一下。
Tā měitiān zǎoshang dōu yào dǎban yíxià.
She likes to freshen up her look every morning.
spoken
今天有面试，你打扮得真精神。
Jīntiān yǒu miànshì, nǐ dǎban de zhēn jīngshen.
You have an interview today, and you look really sharp.
spoken
过年的时候，孩子们都打扮得很漂亮。
Guònián de shíhou, háizimen dōu dǎban de hěn piàoliang.
At New Year, the children are all dressed up beautifully.
neutral
他打扮成一个医生去参加派对。
Tā dǎban chéng yí ge yīshēng qù cānjiā pàiduì.
He dressed up as a doctor to go to the party.
neutral
Common phrases with 打扮
Synonyms
化妆 means specifically 'to apply makeup' — face only. 打扮 is the whole look including clothes and hair. You can 打扮 without 化妆 (e.g. a man dressing sharply).
装扮 is a near-synonym, slightly more written, and leans toward 'costume / getup / disguise.' 打扮 is the everyday spoken word for grooming and dressing up.
Don't confuse 打扮 with
FAQ
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