垫底

diàn dǐ

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Uncommon

Definitions

1. to put sth on the bottom
2. to eat sth to tide oneself over until mealtime
3. to lay the foundation
4. to come last in the rankings

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 顶尖 dǐng jiān 顶尖 dǐng jiān peak In the context of rankings, meaning 'top' or 'the highest position': peak

Usage notes

Collocations

When meaning 'to tide oneself over before a meal', 垫底 often pairs with 肚子 (stomach) or light foods, as in 吃点东西垫垫肚子. Without 肚子, it sounds like 'put something underneath' or 'rank last'.

Common mistakes

垫底 is often incorrectly used as a noun (e.g., *我是垫底); it is a verb and should be used in verbal constructions like 我垫底了 (I am in last place) or 拿…垫底 (use ... as a cushion).

Example Sentences

1 shown

我先吃点饼干 垫底 ，等会儿再吃晚饭。

I'll eat some biscuits to tide myself over before dinner.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 垫底

• 垫底费 垫底费 diàn dǐ fèi: deductible (the part of an insurance claim paid by the insured)

Child Words of 垫底

• 垫 垫 diàn: pad
• 底 底 de: (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)
• 底 底 dǐ: background