搭子
“paired companion”
搭子 (dā zi) is Chinese slang for a casual activity buddy — someone you eat, study, travel, work out, or gossip with, without necessarily becoming close friends.
搭 can mean to put together, join, or pair up. 子 is a noun suffix. Literally, 搭子 is someone you are paired with.
A low-commitment activity buddy for one specific need: 饭搭子 (meal buddy), 健身搭子 (gym buddy), 学习搭子 (study buddy), 旅游搭子 (travel buddy), 摸鱼搭子 (slacking-at-work buddy). The point is precise companionship without the emotional obligations of close friendship.
搭子 culture became a visible Gen Z social pattern around 2023. It answers a modern problem: people are lonely, busy, and mobile, but full friendship can feel expensive in time and emotion. A 搭子 gives you company for one vertical slice of life without asking for the whole thing.
The format is productive: add almost any activity before 搭子. 饭搭子 eats with you. 学习搭子 studies with you. 健身搭子 goes to the gym. 摸鱼搭子 helps you survive work breaks. The boundary is part of the appeal — a good dazi shares the activity and respects the rest of your life.
Posting in a campus group chat
有没有图书馆学习搭子？晚上七点到十点。
"Anyone want to be a library study buddy? 7 to 10 tonight."
Office chat when your favorite coworker is out
我的咖啡搭子请假了，今天上班少了一半灵魂。
"My coffee buddy is off today. Work has lost half its soul."
Explaining the relationship to a friend
我们就是饭搭子，熟人以上，朋友未满。
"We're just meal buddies — more than acquaintances, not quite friends."
搭子 (dā zi) means a casual activity buddy. It can be a meal buddy, study buddy, gym buddy, travel buddy, gaming buddy, or work-break buddy — someone you share one activity with, without deep friendship obligations.
Not exactly. A 搭子 can become a friend, but the term usually emphasizes a narrower relationship: you are compatible for one activity. The common description is 熟人以上，朋友未满 — more than acquaintances, not quite friends.
Common types include 饭搭子 (meal buddy), 学习搭子 (study buddy), 健身搭子 or 运动搭子 (workout buddy), 旅游搭子 (travel buddy), 游戏搭子 (gaming buddy), and 摸鱼搭子 (work-slacking buddy).
It gives people low-pressure companionship. You can avoid doing things alone without investing the time and emotional labor of building a close friendship for every part of life.
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