dǎyàng’r

Meaning:

“打” literally means “to hit,” and “样儿”

means “example.” This Chinese term, having originated from the northeastern dialect, means “to set an example.” In Chinese, the character “打” is sometimes similar to the English word “do” or “make,” and can be used in many phrases. For instance, people say “打车,” which means “to call a taxi,” and “打call,” which means “to support.”

Example:

A: 全聚德在北京新机场开了三家很有特色的店，吸引了不少年轻客人。

Quánjùdé zài běijīng xīnjīchǎng kāi le sānjiā hěn yǒu tèsè de diàn，xīyǐn le bùshǎo niánqīng kèrén。

Quanjude opened three shops at the new Beijing airport, which are quite special and have drawn quite a few young customers.

B: 是啊，他们为老字号传承打样儿了。除了保持传统，还要适度创新。

Shì a，tāmen wèi lǎozìhào chuánchéng dǎyàngr le。Chúle bǎochí chuántǒng，háiyào shìdù chuàngxīn。

Indeed they’ve set a good example for old brands with a long tradition. They need to carry on their tradition and at the same time innovate to catch up with the times.