迪

dí
noun #2,285

Meanings

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

Examples

HSK 5
Díbài shì yígè hěn xiàndài de chéngshì.
Dubai is a very modern city.
HSK 7-9
Wǒmen qù Díshìní wán ba.
Let's go to Disneyland.

Tips

usage
迪 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
辶 chuò
walk; advance (radical)
Bottom-left walking radical (Kangxi #162) - simplified side-form of 辵, depicting a foot stepping along a road. Indexes 迪 in the motion family with 进, 边, 道, 远, 近. The radical sets the meaning of 迪 firmly in the realm of progress: leading someone forward, guiding them along a path - hence the abstract sense 'to enlighten.'
phonetic
由 yóu
to follow; cause
Inside 由 supplies the sound (yóu → dí, an old palatal-to-dental drift). 由 itself originally depicted a sprout breaking up through soil 田 - 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

迪 dí