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王道 (wáng dào) — (historical) the Confucian ideal of benevolent rule by a virtuous king; (modern slang) the best or most effective way; something awesome or unbeatable

Definition

Originally the Confucian ideal of benevolent, virtuous kingship, contrasted with 霸道 (rule by force). In modern slang, especially in gaming, it means 'the ultimate way' or 'unbeatable' — something dominant and hard to counter.

noun
(historical) the Confucian ideal of benevolent rule by a virtuous king(modern slang) the best or most effective waysomething awesome or unbeatable

Examples

  • 王道，。
    Gǔ dài rú jiā tí chàng wáng dào, fǎn duì bà dào.
    Ancient Confucians advocated the kingly way and opposed rule by force.
  • ，王道。
    Zài yóu xì lǐ, sù gōng cái shì wáng dào.
    In games, fast attack is the ultimate way.
  • 王道，。
    Zhè tào dǎ fǎ tài wáng dào le, méi rén néng yíng.
    This playstyle is so awesome, no one can beat it.

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.

王wángking
道dàoway

王 means king and 道 means way, giving the kingly way of rule.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 王 comes from a picture of a ritual axe, an object kept near a throne and connected with royal power.

Open 王 →

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 →
Appears in
Chinese Culture & CustomsGovernment & Politics

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