套叠 (tàodié): to nest

Meanings

1 to nest
2 to overlap
3 to interleave
4 intussusception (medical)

Characters

套

tào

to cover, to sheath, set

叠

dié

to fold, to stack

Examples

这些盒子可以一个套叠在另一个里面。

Zhèxiē hézi kěyǐ yī gè tàodié zài lìng yī gè lǐmiàn.

These boxes can nest one inside another.

肠套叠是儿科常见的急症。

Cháng tàodié shì érkē chángjiàn de jízhèng.

Intussusception is a common pediatric emergency.

Tips

usage

Two registers: in everyday speech 套叠 means nesting/overlapping (Russian dolls, telescoping cups). In medicine, 肠套叠 (cháng tàodié, literally 'intestine nest-fold') is the technical term for intussusception, where one section of bowel slides into another.

memory

套 (tào, to sheath/cover) + 叠 (dié, to fold/stack) — picture one thing slipping inside another and stacking up. That image works for both Matryoshka dolls and the medical sense.