打针

• Pinyin: dǎ zhēn
• Hanzi breakdown: 打 = 扌(hand) + 丁 (phonetic); 针 = 钅(metal) + 十 (ten, phonetic)

Meaning

To give or receive an injection; to get a shot. A medical procedure involving a needle.

A verb-object compound covering all types of medical injections: vaccinations, IV drips, blood draws, and intramuscular shots. Very common in everyday Chinese when discussing medical visits. Children often associate it with fear of needles.

Examples

1. 小孩子都怕打针，一看到医生就哭。 Little kids are all afraid of getting shots — they cry as soon as they see a doctor.
2. 医生说我需要打针才能好得快。 The doctor said I need an injection to recover faster.
3. 每年秋天我都会去打流感疫苗的针。 Every autumn I go to get a flu vaccination shot.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你今天去打针了吗？(Did you go get your injection today?)
• 打针的时候别紧张，很快就好了。(Don't be nervous when getting the shot — it'll be over soon.)

Don't Say

• 用打针来描述抽血 (While 打针 loosely covers all needle procedures, for precision use 抽血 specifically for blood draws)

Origin & History

打 (do/administer) + 针 (needle) — literally 'to do a needle,' a colloquial way to describe the medical procedure of injection.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal