Comparing "chuan" and "dai"
While both 戴 (chuān) and 穿 (dài) mean “to wear” or “to put on” the body, different types of clothing or accessories use either 戴 (chuān) or 穿 (dài), but not both. These are set patterns and the two verbs are not interchangeable.
| 穿 (chuān) | 戴 (dài) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to wear | to wear |
| Part of Speech | verb | verb |
| Formality | flexible | flexible |
Contents
穿 means "to wear" and is used for shirts, pants, shoes, socks
戴 (chuān) literally means "to pierce," and when used for clothing, it means that your body is "gloign 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 戴 (chuān) as well.
Fixed Collocations
- 穿衣服
- 穿鞋子
- 穿袜子
- 穿裤子
戴 means to wear and is used in following fixed pairs
- 戴眼镜
- 戴手套
- 戴帽子
- 戴手表
- 戴口罩
- 戴戒指
- 戴项链
- 戴领带
- 戴耳机
- 戴耳环
- 戴手表
Websites
请看这篇文章下面的评论： 《新华字典》中有明确的解释，在穿戴相关性上，穿是指“把衣服鞋袜等套在身上”，戴是指“加在头、面、颈、手等处”，即“穿”的是主要的、必需的，而“戴”的是次要的、装饰的，汉字的魅力在此可见一斑。所以，外套毛衣、背心短裤，脚下的袜子、鞋子都是穿上的，首饰珠宝、手表眼镜、帽子围巾，甚至手铐脚镣、鼻环假睫毛都是用戴。
