殴打

• Pinyin: ōu dǎ
• Hanzi breakdown: 殴 = 区 (phonetic, bounded area) + 殳 (weapon radical — a striking instrument); 打 = 扌 (hand radical) + 丁 (phonetic, nail) — a hand striking

Meaning

To beat up; to assault physically; to strike with force.

A formal and legal term for physical assault. Used in police reports, court documents, journalism, and official discourse. More serious in register than 打 alone. 聚众殴打 (group assault) and 殴打致伤 (assault causing injury) are common legal collocations.

Examples

1. 监控录像清楚记录了嫌疑人当场殴打受害者的全过程，成为检方指控的重要证据。 Surveillance footage clearly recorded the entire incident of the suspect beating the victim on the spot, becoming key evidence for the prosecution.
2. 当事人在派出所陈述，自己在返家途中遭到三名陌生男子无故殴打，造成面部多处骨折。 The person involved told the police station that on the way home they were attacked without provocation by three unknown men, suffering multiple facial fractures.
3. 该事件中，球迷之间发生了严重的互相殴打，多名人员受伤送医，警方已对涉事人员依法采取强制措施。 In this incident, fans got into a serious brawl; multiple people were injured and sent to the hospital, and police have taken coercive measures against those involved in accordance with the law.

Usage Guide

Context: law, crime, journalism, public security

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 根据刑法相关规定，故意殴打他人致其轻伤以上的，依法构成故意伤害罪，最高可判处三年有期徒刑，情节严重者刑期将进一步加重。(Under relevant provisions of the Criminal Law, intentionally assaulting another person and causing minor injury or above constitutes the crime of intentional injury, punishable by up to three years' imprisonment, with heavier sentences for serious cases.)
• 目击者向警方描述，事发时现场十分混乱，多人相互殴打，呼救声不断，周围路人纷纷绕道回避，无人敢上前制止。(Witnesses described to police that the scene was extremely chaotic at the time — multiple people were beating each other, cries for help were constant, and passers-by gave the scene a wide berth, with no one daring to intervene.)

Don't Say

• 将'殴打'用于玩笑或轻度描述，如'我真想殴打他一顿' — 殴打 is a serious legal term for criminal assault; use 揍 or 打 in casual speech if the intent is hyperbolic expression rather than literal threat

Origin & History

殴 = 区 (area/section) + 殳 (weapon/strike) — to strike within range; 打 = 扌 (hand) + 丁 (nail) — to strike with the hand

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal