打 is one of the most important verbs in Chinese. Its original meaning is realted to violence, but it is far more than violence.
In this post (also check the video), you will open your eyes and see how the character 打 has become less and less violent.
打 and its original use
打 is composed of 扌 and 丁. 扌 is the semantic component, indicator of action, and 丁 is the phonetic component. The original meaning of 打 is “hit, strike, beat, etc”.
There are certain words and expressions based on the original meaning of 打 such as 打人 hit/beat somebody，攻打 attack，打架 come to blows/fight，打仗 go to war，拷打 torture, etc, which are related to violence, but the number of these kinds of words is limited.
打 is far more than violence
As the society is developing, the use of 打 is also evolutioning. Besides the basic use, 打 is also used in many other aspects, for example:
physiological reaction
打哈欠 yawn, 打盹 doze，打喷嚏 sneeze、打呼噜 snore、打嗝 hiccup、etc;
natural phenomena
打雷 thunder，打闪 lightning，etc.;
labor
打猎 hunt，打渔 catch fish，打柴 collect firewood，打杂 do odds and ends，打扫 clean，打工 work to earn a living , etc;
socializing
打交道 come into/make contact with，打招呼 greet/say hello，打手势 give a sign，打听 ask about，打探 inquire about，etc;
leisure
打牌 play cards，打麻将 play mahjong，打游戏 play games，打太极 do Tai Chi，打球 play ball games, etc;
love and sex
打情骂俏 coquet with sb，打飞机 masturbate (male)，打手枪 masturbate (male)，打炮 have sex, etc;
business and finance
打理生意 manage/run business，打钱 transfer money，etc;
computer
打字 type
telecommunication
打电话 make a call
emotion
打动 move
medication
打针 give or have an injection ，打疫苗 vaccinate, etc.
好了，我要在这里打住了。
See that, I used 打 in this sentence. It has nothing to do with beat, hit, strike, etc. 打住 means “come to a halt, stop”.
You will meet this character very very often in Chinese.
From these examples, we can see obviously the use of 打 has become less and less related to violence, and it can be used in various situations.
For the use of 打, we still have more to share with you. Just stay tuned, and in the next post, we will study a super important word composed of 打。Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for updates. See you then, bye 再见！