对话

• Pinyin: duì huà
• Hanzi breakdown: 对 (duì) — facing, towards; 话 (huà) — speech, words

Meaning

Dialogue; conversation. A conversation between two or more people, or the act of having a conversation.

Used both as a noun (a dialogue or conversation) and as a verb (to have a dialogue). Common in language learning (practising dialogues) and broader contexts like diplomatic dialogue.

Examples

1. 请和你的同桌练习这段对话。 Please practise this dialogue with your deskmate.
2. 他们之间的对话很有趣。 The conversation between them was very interesting.
3. 老师让我们写一段简短的对话。 The teacher asked us to write a short dialogue.

Usage Guide

Context: language learning, communication, literature

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 我们来练习课本上的对话。(Let's practise the dialogue in the textbook.)
• 他们正在进行一场重要的对话。(They are having an important conversation.)

Don't Say

• 在日常口语中说'聊天'比'对话'更自然 — 对话 sounds slightly formal or academic. For casual chatting, use 聊天 or 说话.

Origin & History

Compound of 对 (facing, to) and 话 (speech, words). Literally 'facing speech' — a conversation between people facing each other.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal