砥 (dǐ): fine whetstone

Meanings

1 fine whetstone
2 to hone
3 to temper (oneself)

Characters

砥

dǐ

whetstone; to hone

Examples

艰难可以砥砺人的意志。

Jiānnán kěyǐ dǐlì rén de yìzhì.

Hardship can temper a person's will.

道路平如砥。

Dàolù píng rú dǐ.

The road was as level as a whetstone.

Tips

usage

Mostly literary, mostly in 砥砺 — literally 'whetstone-and-grindstone', figuratively 'to forge through trials'. 平如砥 ('flat as a whetstone') praises a perfectly smooth surface.

Components

radical

石 shí

stone

Left-side stone radical 石. A whetstone is fine-grained stone for sharpening blades, so the stone radical carries the core meaning.

phonetic

氐 dǐ

base; (here) sound

Right side 氐 gives the sound dǐ and appears as the phonetic in related characters like 底 and 抵.

Stroke Order

砥 dǐ

Related Words

中流砥柱 zhōngliú-dǐzhù #29,443

mainstay / pillar of strength / cornerstone / tower of strength (one who stands firm in adversity)

锻炼 duànliàn HSK 4 #4,303

to exercise; to work out / to temper; to toughen (oneself)

闯 chuǎng HSK 5 #3,799

to rush; to charge; to break through / to temper oneself through experience; to venture out

独自 dúzì HSK 4 #1,978

alone; by oneself / on one's own

罚款 fákuǎn HSK 5 #9,515

to fine (impose a monetary penalty) / fine; penalty (money)

单独 dāndú HSK 4 #1,575

alone; by oneself / independently; separately

躲 duǒ HSK 5 #1,119

to hide (oneself); to take cover / to dodge; to avoid; to evade

出洋相 chūyángxiàng HSK 7-9 #24,782

to make a fool of oneself / to make a spectacle of oneself / to embarrass oneself

解脱 jiětuō HSK 7-9 #4,676

to free oneself / to find relief / liberation

发火 fāhuǒ HSK 7-9 #4,491

to lose one's temper; to flare up / to catch fire; to ignite