当成

• Pinyin: dàng chéng
• Hanzi breakdown: 当 = 尚 (esteem) simplified + 彐; 成 = 戈 (weapon) + 丁

Meaning

To regard as; to treat as; to consider as. Treating something as if it were something else.

Used when someone treats or considers one thing as another. Can indicate a mistake (把A当成B) or a deliberate attitude (把他当成朋友). Similar to 当作 but slightly more colloquial.

Examples

1. 他一直把我当成亲弟弟一样照顾。 He has always taken care of me as if I were his own younger brother.
2. 别把玩笑当成真的，他只是开个玩笑。 Don't take the joke seriously — he was just kidding.
3. 她把工作当成生活的全部，几乎没有私人时间。 She treats work as her whole life and has almost no personal time.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, attitudes

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我把你当成朋友。(I consider you a friend.)
• 别把我的话当成耳边风。(Don't treat my words as just noise.)

Don't Say

• 当成和当作基本可以互换，当成稍微口语化一点 (当成 and 当作 are basically interchangeable — 当成 is slightly more colloquial)

Origin & History

From 当 (to act as/regard as) combined with 成 (to become/into), expressing treating something as if it had become something else.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal