Ideographic: To welcome someone arriving 彳 at the royal court 寺Radical:

meaning for dài:

  • - to wait
  • - to treat
  • - to deal with
  • - to need
  • - going to (do sth)
  • - about to
  • - intending to

meaning for dāi:

  • - to stay

míngtiān明天
wǒhuì我会
zài
bàngōngshì办公室
dài
dào
wǎnshang晚上

I will be staying in the office until late tomorrow.


jīntiān今天
tiānqì天气
hěn
zāogāo糟糕
zuìhǎo最好
dài
zài
jiālǐ家里

The weather is really bad today, it's best to stay at home.


kěyǐ可以
dài
huì
zài
kāfēi咖啡
ma
xiànzài现在
yǒudiǎn有点
xīnhuāng心慌

Can I have coffee later? I'm feeling a little anxious right now.