Comparing "chuan" and "dai"

While both 穿 (chuān) and 戴 (dài) mean “to wear” or “to put on” the body, different types of clothing or accessories use either 穿 (chuān) or 戴 (dài), but not both. These are set patterns and the two verbs are not interchangeable.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	穿 (chuān)	戴 (dài)
Meaning	to wear	to wear
Part of Speech	verb	verb
Formality	flexible	flexible

:Yes

穿 (chuān) means "to wear" and is used for shirts, pants, shoes, socks

穿 (chuān) literally means "to pierce," and when used for clothing, it means that your body is "going through" the clothing in some way. This is especially true for shirts and pants. For shoes and socks, Your feet "go through" the shoes or socks, but don't come out on the other side. It still counts. Jackets, coats, vests all work like shorts and use 穿 (chuān) as well.

You'll notice that the most essential pieces of clothing use 穿 (chuān).

The following collocations using 穿 (chuān) are fixed:

• 穿 衣服 chuān yīfu to wear clothes
• 穿 外套chuān wàitào to wear a coat
• 穿 裤子 chuān kùzi to wear pants
• 穿 裙子 chuān qúnzi to wear a skirt or dress
• 穿 鞋子 chuān xiézi to wear shoes
• 穿 袜子 chuān wàzi to wear socks

戴 (dài) means "to wear" and is used for all kinds of accessories

When an article of clothing or an accessory simply "sits on" the body (like a hat or eyeglasses), wraps around it (like a belt or a scarf), or hangs from it (like an earring or a bracelet), the appropriate verb is 戴 (dài). Gloves and rings may seem to work like socks, which use 穿 (chuān), but both of those actually use 戴 (dài). (They're clearly accessories, after all.)

Note that this is a different verb from the 带 (dài) that means "to carry," although it is pronounced identically.

The following collocations using 戴 (dài) are fixed:

• 戴 眼镜 dài yǎnjìng to wear glasses
• 戴 手套 dài shǒutào to wear gloves
• 戴 帽子 dài màozi to wear a hat
• 戴围巾dàiwéijīn to wear a scarf
• 戴 手表 dài shǒubiǎo to wear a watch
• 戴 口罩 dài kǒuzhào to wear a mask
• 戴 戒指 dài jièzhi to wear a ring
• 戴 项链 dài xiàngliàn to wear a necklace
• 戴 领带 dài lǐngdài to wear a tie
• 戴 耳机 dài ěrjī to wear headphones
• 戴 耳环 dài ěrhuán to wear earrings

Example sentences using 穿 (chuān) and 戴 (dài)

Note that the two verbs can be used together in a sentence, but the objects are not interchangeable.

Example Sentences

• 你 不 想 穿 袜子 的话 可以 穿 凉鞋。Nǐ bù xiǎng chuān wàzi dehuà kěyǐ chuān liángxié.You can wear sandals if you don't want to wear socks.
• 他 打 完 电话 穿 了 外套 就 出去 了。Tā dǎ wán diànhuà chuān le wàitào jiù chūqù le.He finished his phone call and put on his coat and went out.
• 我 发现 你 今天 戴 了 一 条 新 围巾，真 漂亮！Wǒ fāxiàn nǐ jīntiān dài le yītiáo xīn wéijīn, zhēn piàoliang!I noticed you're wearing a new scarf today, it's beautiful!
• 你 穿 这个 裙子 的话，应该 戴 这个 项链。Nǐ chuān zhège qúnzi dehuà, yīnggāi dài zhège xiàngliàn.You should wear this necklace if you wear this dress.
• 她 今天 戴 这了 口罩，我 没有 认出 她。Tā jīntiān dài le kǒuzhào, wǒ méiyǒu rènchū tā.She was wearing a mask today and I didn't recognise her.
• 夏天 到 了，女孩子 们 都 开始 穿 裙子 了。Xiàtiān dào le, nǚháizǐ men dōu kāishǐ chuān qúnzi le.Summer is here and the girls are wearing dresses.
• 今天 我 出门 忘 戴 手表 了。Jīntiān wǒ chūmén wàng dài shǒubiǎo le.I forgot to wear my watch when I went out today.
• 你 戴 眼镜 的 样子 更 漂亮。Nǐ dài yǎnjìng de yàngzi gèng piàoliang.You look prettier with your glasses on.
• 我 的 女儿 不 喜欢 穿 裙子，她 喜欢 穿 裤子。Wǒ de nǚ’ér bù xǐhuan chuān qúnzi, tā xǐhuan chuān kùzi.My daughter doesn't like to wear skirts, she likes to wear trousers.
• 我们 老板 今天 戴 了 一 条 新 领带，听说 是 他 的 女儿 送 给 他 的。Wǒmen lǎobǎn jīntiān dài le yī tiáo xīn lǐngdài, tīngshuō shì tā de nǚ’ér sòng gěi tā de.Our boss is wearing a new tie today, I heard it was given to him by his daughter.
• 今天 外面 很 冷 别 忘 了 戴 手套。Jīntiān wàimiàn hěn lěng bié wàng le dài shǒutào.It's cold outside today don't forget to wear gloves.
• 我 喜欢 戴 着 耳机 一边 听 音乐 一边 跑步。Wǒ xǐhuan dài zhe ěrjī yībiān tīng yīnyuè yībiān pǎobù.I like to run with my headphones on while listening to music.

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