打折
dǎ zhé · HSK 4
to give a discount
🏷️ 打 = hit/strike + 折 = break/fold → strike off a fraction of the price
打 means to hit or apply an action, 折 means to fold or break off. Together they mean breaking the price down — giving a discount. Note: 打折 quotes the price you PAY, so 打八折 = pay 80% = 20% off.
打 — hand radical 扌 + nail 丁
打 combines the hand radical 扌 (action with the hand) with 丁 (originally a nail), suggesting striking or hitting with the hand. 丁 also serves as a phonetic hint in older readings. The meaning broadened from 'to strike' to a general verb for many hand-based actions, like 打电话 'make a phone call'.
折 — hand 扌 + axe 斤
Originally written as 折 with a hand (扌) breaking or chopping something with an axe (斤), depicting the act of snapping or cutting in two. The core meaning 'to break, snap, fold' extends metaphorically to 'bend,' 'turn back,' and 'discount' (as in reducing a price by breaking off part).