天道 (tiān dào) — the Way of Heaven; natural law; cosmic justice

Definition

A classical / philosophical term for the 'Way of Heaven' — the natural moral order of the cosmos, where good is rewarded and evil punished. In modern writing it can also simply mean 'nature's law' or, as weather forecasting, 'the weather'.

noun
the Way of Heavennatural lawcosmic justice
Easily confused

Examples

  • 天道。
    Gǔ rén rèn wéi tiān dào shì yǔ zhòu yùn xíng de guī lǜ.
    The ancients believed that the Way of Heaven is the law of the universe's operation.
  • 天道，。
    Tā xiāng xìn tiān dào chóu qín, zhǐ yào nǔ lì jiù huì yǒu hǎo jié guǒ.
    He believes that Heaven rewards diligence, and as long as you work hard, you will get good results.
  • 天道。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō tàn tǎo le tiān dào yǔ rén xīn de guān xì.
    This novel explores the relationship between the Way of Heaven and the human heart.

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.

天tiānheaven
道dàoway

天 is heaven, 道 is way, together giving the Way of Heaven or natural law.

Characters in this word

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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.

Open 道 →

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