不道德 (bù dào dé) — immoral | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A straightforward adjective for behavior, actions, or choices that violate moral norms. Translates closely to 'unethical' or 'immoral' — similar in meaning to 不道德 but with no positive counterpart needed here.

adjective

immoral

Examples

不道德。
Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi hěn bù dào dé.
This kind of behavior is very immoral.
不道德。
Sā huǎng shì yì zhǒng bù dào dé de xíng wéi.
Lying is an immoral act.
不道德。
Dà jiā dōu shuō tā zhè yàng zuò hěn bù dào dé.
Everyone says that what he did is very immoral.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

道德moral

道dàoway德dévirtue

联合Coordinate

不 means not, and 道德 means moral; together they mean not moral.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

行行xíngstreet

止止zhǐfoot

Sound part声符shēngfú

𩠐

首shǒu道dào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

彳彳chìroad

Sound part声符shēngfú

惪

惪dé德dé

Same sound today

德 combines 彳, a road, with 惪, a component meaning virtue that also supplies the sound.

Appears in

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