打边鼓

打邊鼓

dǎbiāngǔ

phrase

Meanings

1 to beat the side drum
2 to chime in in support
3 to assist from the sidelines, often by cheering someone else on

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

他求婚的时候，朋友在旁边打边鼓。

Tā qiúhūn de shíhou, péngyou zài pángbiān dǎbiāngǔ.

When he proposed, his friends were cheering him on from the sidelines.

HSK 6

谈判主要靠他，我只是打边鼓。

Tánpàn zhǔyào kào tā, wǒ zhǐshì dǎbiāngǔ.

He did the real negotiating - I just backed him up.

HSK 7-9

主角不开口，配角在旁边直打边鼓。

Zhǔjiǎo bù kāikǒu, pèijiǎo zài pángbiān zhí dǎbiāngǔ.

The lead wouldn't speak, so the sidekick kept drumming up support from the side.

Tips

usage

Image from old opera: while the lead drum drives the action, the side drum adds supporting rhythm. 打边鼓 = you're not the main voice but you're adding pressure and energy to someone else's pitch.

Stroke Order

打 dǎ

边 biān

鼓 gǔ