打字(dǎ zì) - to type in Mandarin

打字 (dǎ zì) means to type, built from 打 (dǎ, to hit, to strike) and 字 (zì, character, word). It is a verb-object compound describing the physical action of striking keys to produce characters, the same 打 (dǎ) that appears in 打电话 (dǎ diàn huà), to make a phone call, another everyday action verb built on "hitting".

To grade how someone types, split the two halves and put the result in between: 打字打得很快 (dǎ zì dǎ dé hěn kuài), "types very quickly", repeats 打 (dǎ) before the 得 (de) complement, which looks odd on the page until the verb-object pattern becomes familiar. It is the same structure as 睡觉睡得很好 (shuì jiào shuì dé hěn hǎo), "sleeps very well".

打字 (dǎ zì) is specifically about producing text on a keyboard, not writing by hand, 写字 (xiě zì), so a sentence contrasting the two, 打字比手写快多了 (dǎ zì bǐ shǒu xiě kuài duō le), "typing is much faster than writing by hand", is a natural way to show off both verbs at once.