noun #1,162

Meanings

  1. 1 virtue; morality; ethics
  2. 2 kindness; favor

Examples

HSK 3
Tā zài Déguó liúxué le liǎng nián.
She studied in Germany for two years.
HSK 4
Tā shì yígè yǒu dàodé de rén.
He is a person of good morals.

Tips

usage
is in 道德 (dàodé, morality), 品德 (pǐndé, moral character), 德国 (Déguó, Germany), 美德 (měidé, virtue). Also a common surname.
culture
is one of Confucianism's core concepts. 以德服人 (yǐ dé fú rén) means 'to win people over through virtue rather than force'.

Components

radical
chì
step; left-step radical
Left-step radical on the left - the indexing semantic. depicts a short step taken with the left foot, marking as a movement-of-the-self word. The same radical organises (walk), (go toward), (wait), (service): all things you do as you move through life - fitting for 'virtue', the way you carry yourself.
semantic
zhí
straight; upright
Middle stack - 'straight, upright', itself an eye ( sideways) over a vertical line, originally a plumb-bob beside the eye for measuring straightness. In it carries the meaning 'upright, true', the moral straight-line by which one's actions are gauged. Joined with below, the right side reads 'straight-heart'.
semantic
xīn
heart; mind
Heart at the bottom - pictures the chambered organ. In it provides the moral seat: virtue is what you do when your heart is straight (直心) and you walk it out (). The full reading is 'walking with a straight heart' - the ethical core of Confucian as moral character or upright conduct.

Stroke Order