下家

xiàjiā

noun #46,772

Meanings

1 next player (in a game)
2 the person whose turn comes after yours
3 next buyer in a chain
4 next employer

Characters

Examples

该你的下家出牌了。

Gāi nǐ de xiàjiā chūpái le.

It's your next-player's turn to play a card.

打麻将时，下家永远在你的右手边。

Dǎ májiàng shí, xiàjiā yǒngyuǎn zài nǐ de yòushǒu biān.

When playing mahjong, your 下家 is always on your right.

他还没找到下家就辞职了。

Tā hái méi zhǎodào xiàjiā jiù cízhí le.

He quit before he'd even found his next job.

Tips

culture

In mahjong, the turn order goes counterclockwise: 上家 (upstream, left), 对家 (opposite), 下家 (downstream, right). You can only 吃 (chi / sequence claim) from your 上家, so knowing which seat is which matters.

usage

Beyond games, 下家 extends to 'next link in a chain': the next buyer for goods you're reselling, or the next employer when job-hopping.

Stroke Order

下 xià

家 jiā