打印机

• Pinyin: dǎ yìn jī
• Hanzi breakdown: 打 = 扌(hand) + 丁; 印 = 卩 (seal) pressing; 机 = 木 (wood) + 几 (small table)

Meaning

Printer. A machine that produces text or images on paper.

Common office equipment for printing documents, photos, or other materials. Types include inkjet printers (喷墨打印机) and laser printers (激光打印机). Essential in offices and increasingly common in homes.

Examples

1. 办公室的打印机又卡纸了，谁来修一下？ The office printer jammed again — who can fix it?
2. 这台打印机可以双面打印，很省纸。 This printer can do double-sided printing, which saves paper.
3. 我需要买一台彩色打印机打印照片。 I need to buy a color printer to print photos.

Usage Guide

Context: office, technology

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 打印机没墨了，要换墨盒。(The printer is out of ink — we need to change the cartridge.)
• 这个文件用哪台打印机打？(Which printer should I use for this document?)

Don't Say

• 打印机是机器本身，'打印'是动作，不要混淆 (打印机 is the machine itself, 打印 is the action — don't confuse them)

Origin & History

Combines 打印 (to print) with 机 (machine). 打印 comes from the action of striking type onto paper.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal