德

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

Stroke Order

德 dé