倒贴

倒貼

dàotiē

verb #36,156

Meanings

1 to pay out of pocket when you should be receiving money
2 to throw good money after bad in a relationship

Characters

reverse; upside-down

to stick; subsidize

Examples

这生意做得我还要倒贴钱。

Zhè shēngyì zuò de wǒ hái yào dàotiē qián.

This business has me paying money out of pocket instead of earning.

她天天给男朋友倒贴，朋友都看不下去了。

Tā tiāntiān gěi nán péngyǒu dàotiē, péngyǒu dōu kàn bú xiàqù le.

She pours money into her boyfriend every day — her friends can't stand to watch.

Tips

culture

The CNY custom of hanging the character 福 upside-down (倒 = upside-down) is a pun: 福倒了 sounds like 福到了 ("fortune has arrived"). 倒贴 "stick upside down" extends the metaphor to money flowing the wrong way.

Stroke Order

倒 dào

贴 tiē