# Pronunciation: 当天



## yuechu

Hello/大家好，

我想问一下： What would be the correct pronunciation for 当天 in Mandarin?
(Perapera lists dang4tian1. I heard dang1tian1 on TV recently though. And Nciku lists both pronunciations.)

Thanks in advance/谢谢！


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## Skatinginbc

Good question.    
当 dang1: 彼、那 "that"。dang1tian1 "that day" (当天他终于见到你了 "He finally saw you that day")
当 dang4: 同一 "the same"。dang4tian1 "the same day" 同一天 (e.g., 你可以当天回来 "You can return the same day").
In Taiwan, not many people actually make such distinction, and so they simply pronounce dang1tian1 for both definitions.


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## SuperXW

I don't think people in the mainland make such distinction either. I hear most people (including myself) say dang1tian1. Occasionally, some people say dang4tian1.


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## wishonatrish

I only ever hear dang1tian1. -- whether singapore, malaysian, taiwanese, or mainland chinese.


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## tarlou

The correct pronunciation is dang4tian1.
In real life both ways are possible.


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## yuechu

谢谢你们的帮助！
（Le message que vous avez inséré est trop petit. Veuillez développer celui-ci pour faire 10 caractères minimum.）


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## rilaks

In dictionary, it's dang4tian1.
I'm Chinese and I just found out that.

But in speaking, it's always dang1tian1.
Sometime, the pronunciation in dictionary is not the way people are actually speaking.


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## stellari

Skatinginbc gave a great explanation. However, I would usually only use 当天 in the sense of 'the same day', and use 那天 for 'that day'. So I mostly pronounce it as dang4 in formal speeches.  On the other hand, in daily conversations, I'd use the vernacular pronunciation dang1 as many people do.

However, I treat the word '当年' in a different way. This word has two meanings: "that year (which was a long time ago)" and "in the same year", which are only differentiated by tone. For example, 
那家新公司当年就宣布破产。dang1 would mean the new company was broke many years ago; dang4 means that the new company was broke in the same year (as something else happened). Without further context, it probably suggest it went broke the same year when it was founded.


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## Skatinginbc

Indeed, 当天 is usually used in the sense of 'the same day', and so its  "correct" pronunciation is usually dang4tian1.  In contrast, 当年 is  usually used for "old times" especially "the good old days" (e.g., 英雄不提当年勇, 想当年我可是一 表人才), and so its "correct" pronunciation is usually dang1nian2.  As a  result, the Taiwan's dictionary prescribes dang4tian1 for 当天 and yet dang1nian2 for 当年.  Their alternative pronunciations are explained only under the sub-entry of 当.


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## SuperXW

Skatinginbc said:


> Good question.
> 当 dang1: 彼、那 "that"。dang1tian1 "that day" (当天他终于见到你了 "He finally saw you that day")
> 当 dang4: 同一 "the same"。dang4tian1 "the same day" 同一天 (e.g., 你可以当天回来 "You can return the same day").
> In Taiwan, not many people actually make such distinction, and so they simply pronounce dang1tian1 for both definitions.


我非常怀疑「同一天」和「那天」的解释。
1. 「直到日后你想明白的那天，我再来……」如果换成「直到日后你想明白的当天，我再来……」就几乎不通顺，有没有感觉？
2. 指某天时，「那天」和「同一天」在概念上根本无法区分，只是字面区别而已。「当天他终于见到你了」也就相当于「同一天，他终于见到你了」；「你可以当天回来」也相当于「你可以那天回来」。你能想出一个句子，这两个概念不能替换吗？
3. 「当dang4」还在哪个词里表示「同一」吗？
4. 那么「当下」、「当时」、「当年」这些词，都读dang1吧？如何区分表示「那」还是「同一」？


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## tarlou

SuperXW said:


> 我非常怀疑「同一天」和「那天」的解释。
> 1. 「直到日后你想明白的那天，我再来……」如果换成「直到日后你想明白的当天，我再来……」就几乎不通顺，有没有感觉？
> 2. 指某天时，「那天」和「同一天」在概念上根本无法区分，只是字面区别而已。「当天他终于见到你了」也就相当于「同一天，他终于见到你了」；「你可以当天回来」也相当于「你可以那天回来」。你能想出一个句子，这两个概念不能替换吗？
> 3. 「当dang4」还在哪个词里表示「同一」吗？
> 4. 那么「当下」、「当时」、「当年」这些词，都读dang1吧？如何区分表示「那」还是「同一」？



我查了一下。《现代汉语词典》里的解释是这样的：dang1是介词，表示“正在（那时候，那地点）”；dang4“指事情发生的（时间）”。当年、当日、当时都是多音词：dang4表示本年、本日、立刻；dang1表示以前的某一年、天、时间。至于“当天”，只有dang4tian1词条。

dang1我感觉主要是以前的某一天（or 年）。因此你的1的句子是不通顺的。
区别：遥想公瑾当dang1年 vs 这个工厂当dang4年兴建，当dang4年投产 （第二个例子来自《现汉》）
一个是以前的某一年，另一个指“本年”。

我比较确定“当天”（作“同一天”）是念dang4tian1，是因为想到了“xxx于当天下午抵达xxx，并进行国事访问”，貌似这句话经常出现在新闻联播里，而且念的是dang4。

当然，实际生活中怎么念的都有。


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## avlee

I only pronounce it as dang1tian1. Only when it comes to pawn, the pronounciation of 当 will be dang4. I'll stick to this rule no matter how the dictionary says.


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## Skatinginbc

SuperXW said:


> 「当dang4」还在哪个词里表示「同一」吗？


How do you normally say 当天往返的机票?  dang1tian1 or dang4tian1?


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## SuperXW

Skatinginbc said:


> How do you normally say 当天往返的机票?  dang1tian1 or dang4tian1?


我说dang1。dang4字也可以接受，不过我不会那么说。
好吧，「当天往返」解释成「同一天」更合适点。


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## YangMuye

个人觉得《现代汉语词典》跟《新华字典》（尤其是后者）的很多释义有点理论主义。
很多多音字和异读字的字义区别，不管是古代还是现在，其实并不严格。

而且现代汉语多音字或者相同声旁的形声字混同的趋势挺明显。（另外一个趋势是很多字都转为第三声）
如果考虑到他们原本就是同源的，混同也未必是坏事。

从实践的角度上讲，不管读dang1天还是dang4天，我都不会觉得意思有什么区别。


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