嘚 (dē) — used in 嘚瑟 | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

嘚 (dē) only appears in 嘚瑟, a colloquial northern word for showing off or being flashily dressed. It has no meaning on its own.

bound form

used in 嘚瑟

Easily confused

嘚，。
Tā zǒng ài dē sè, mǎi le gè xīn shǒu jī jiù dào chù xuàn yào.
He always likes to show off; as soon as he bought a new phone, he showed it off everywhere.
嘚，。
Nǐ bié dē sè le, xiǎo xīn bèi rén xiào hua.
Don't be so cocky, or people will laugh at you.
嘚，。
Tā jīn tiān chuān dé hěn dē sè, yí kàn jiù shì qù yuē huì.
He's dressed very flashy today; it's obvious he's going on a date.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

口得嘚

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

得

Same sound today

嘚 pairs 口 (mouth) with 得, which gives the sound.