下场

下場
xiàchǎng / xiàchang
verb HSK 7-9 #5,622

Meanings

  1. 1 to leave the stage; to go off the field
  2. 2 to take part in person; to step into the arena
  3. 3 to sit an examination

Characters

To go down onto the field, or off the stage. Which of the two it is comes from the sentence, not from the word.

Examples

HSK 4
Tā shòushāng le, jiàoliàn ràng tā xiàchǎng xiūxi.
He was injured, so the coach sent him off to rest.
HSK 4
Yǎnyuán chàng wán zuìhòu yí jù jiù xiàchǎng le.
The actor sang the last line and went off stage.
HSK 5
Lǎobǎn qīnzì xiàchǎng, gēn yuángōng yìqǐ gànhuó.
The boss got involved himself and worked alongside the staff.

Tips

mistakes
Two words, one spelling. With a neutral it is a noun for how someone ends up, almost always badly. With a full third tone it is this verb, the opposite of 上场: to come off the field or leave the stage.
usage
The verb points both ways. Coming off is the sports and theatre sense, a player leaving the field or a performer walking off stage. Going in is the older sense, entering the hall to sit an imperial examination, and it survives whenever someone stops watching and joins in: 亲自下场.

Stroke Order

xià
chǎng