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搭訕

简搭讪 · 繁搭訕

Mandarin · pinyin dā shàn

to hit on someone
to strike up a conversation
to start talking to end an awkward silence or embarrassing situation

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Characters in this entry

搭: dā · join together, attach to; add to
訕: Look up this written character
讪: shàn · abuse, slander; vilify; ridicule

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4 · da1 shan4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

搭訕 · find source passages ↗ · 搭讪 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

daap3 saan3

Cantonese word readings for 搭訕. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to try to strike up a conversation
to start talking to end an awkward silence or embarrassing situation
(neologism) to hit on someone; to pick up

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack