noun #2,285

Meanings

  1. 1 to enlighten
  2. 2 used in transliterations (e.g. Disney 迪士尼)

Examples

Wǒmen qù Díshìní wán ba.
Let's go to Disneyland.
Díbài shì yīgè hěn xiàndài de chéngshì.
Dubai is a very modern city.

Tips

usage
is primarily used as a phonetic component in transliterations of foreign names: 迪士尼 (Disney), 迪拜 (Dubai), 奥迪 (Audi). Its original meaning 'to enlighten' is rarely used.

Components

radical
chuò
walk; advance (radical)
Bottom-left walking radical (Kangxi #162) — simplified side-form of , depicting a foot stepping along a road. Indexes in the motion family with , , , , . The radical sets the meaning of firmly in the realm of progress: leading someone forward, guiding them along a path — hence the abstract sense 'to enlighten.'
phonetic
yóu
to follow; cause
Inside supplies the sound (yóu → dí, an old palatal-to-dental drift). itself originally depicted a sprout breaking up through soil — emerging, beginning, following from. That 'rising forward' image meshes with the walking radical to give 'to lead onward, to enlighten.' Modern usage 迪士尼 (Disney) is purely phonetic.

Stroke Order