拨打

• Pinyin: bō dǎ
• Hanzi breakdown: 拨 = 扌(hand) + 发, to dial/turn; 打 = 扌(hand) + 丁, to hit/make

Meaning

To dial; to call (a phone number). The action of making a phone call.

Formal term for dialing a phone number. Commonly used in customer service contexts, automated messages, and formal instructions. Often appears with 电话 (phone), 号码 (number), or 热线 (hotline). More formal than 打电话.

Examples

1. 如有疑问，请拨打客服热线咨询。 If you have questions, please dial the customer service hotline for assistance.
2. 他连续拨打了好几次，但对方一直没接。 He dialed several times in a row, but the other party never answered.
3. 紧急情况下，请立即拨打110报警。 In an emergency, please immediately dial 110 to call the police.

Usage Guide

Context: customer service, instructions, formal

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 请拨打以下号码预约。(Please dial the following number to make an appointment.)
• 拨打国际电话需要加区号。(Dialing international calls requires adding the area code.)

Don't Say

• 口语中不必说'拨打' (In casual speech, don't use 拨打 — just say 打电话 or 打给; 拨打 is for formal contexts)

Origin & History

Compound of 拨 (to dial, to turn) + 打 (to hit, to make). Originally referred to rotating a dial phone; now generalized to any phone calling.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal