第五 (dì wǔ) — the fifth (ordinal number)

Definition

numeral

the fifth (ordinal number)

第五。
Zhè shì tā de dì wǔ gè hái zi.
This is his fifth child.
第五。
Wǒ dì wǔ cì lái zhè jiā cān tīng chī fàn.
This is the fifth time I've come to eat at this restaurant.
第五。
Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng dé le dì wǔ míng.
He got fifth place in the competition.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

第dìordinal

第 marks an ordered position and 五 gives the number, so together they mean the fifth.

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

𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

弟

Same sound today

第 shows 𥫗, the bamboo strips once used for writing and sorting, with 弟 giving the sound.

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

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Appears in