蒂 (dì) — (bound form) stem (of fruit, flower, melon); (bound form) butt (of a cigarette)
Definition
Bound morph meaning 'stem' — the small part that connects a fruit or flower to its stalk, or the leftover butt of a cigarette. Always pairs with a preceding noun (e.g. 瓜蒂, 烟蒂).
bound form
stem (of fruit, flower, melon)butt (of a cigarette)
Easily confused
- 帝dìlook-alike(bound form) emperor
- 地dìsound-alike(noun) ground, land, floor (as a surface)
- 第dìsound-alike(prefix) used before a number to form ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.)
- 递dìsound-aliketo hand over, to pass (something to someone), to deliver
- 弟dìsound-alikeyounger brother (as a bound form in compounds like 兄弟, 弟子)
- 谛dìsound-alike(bound form, literary) carefully, attentively (of looking or listening)
Examples
- 。Tā suí shǒu bǎ yān dì rēng zài dì shàng.He casually threw the cigarette butt on the ground.
- 蒂。Guā dì shì lián jiē guā hé téng de bù fen.The melon stem is the part connecting the melon and the vine.
- 蒂，。Huā dì kū wěi hòu, huā duǒ jiù huì diào luò.After the flower stem withers, the flower will fall off.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
艸艸cǎograss
The top 艸 marks a plant, and the lower 帝 gives the sound.
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