打 is mainly used as a verb, with meanings of “hit”, “strike”, “play”, “fetch”, etc. Although it can be used alone as a verb, it is commonly used in this formula.
Formula of 打 I
打 + verb ≈ verb
打 and a verb form a compound word and the meaning of this compound word falls on the verb. In this formula 打 loses its original meaning as a verb and mostly the compound verb expresses a meaning not related to “hit, strike, play, beat, blow, etc” For examples:
打 + 量 measure = 打量 measure with the eye, look somebody up and down; size up, reckon
打 + 听 hear = 打听 inquire about, ask about, investigate
打 + 扰 harass, trouble = 打扰 disturb, trouble
打 + 算 calculate = 打算 plan
打 + 坐 sit = 打坐 sit in meditation
打 + 扮 make up = 打扮 make up
打 + 磨 rub = 打磨 polish
打 + 消 eliminate, disappear = 打消 cancel, give up
打+赌 bet, gamble = 打赌 bet, assure, guarantee, gamble
打 + 探 try to find out, explore = 打探 inquire about, ask about
打 + 动 move = 打动 move, touch, arouse one’s feelings
打 + 发 send out = 打发 send, dispatch, while away
Pay attention：
This formula is applied to “打 + verb”. In the case of “打 + noun”, 打 does not change its meaning as a verb and the noun is the object of 打. For example，
我不太喜欢用电脑打汉字 I don’t like typing Chinese characters with a computer.
那个小孩病得很厉害，医生给他打了一针。The child was so ill that the doctor gave him an injection.
By the way, 打 is one of the most important characters in Chinese. As a verb it has multiple meanings. Stay tuned and we will post another article about 打 for you to learn this chracter better!
Check out how to write 打