厚道 (hòu dao) — kind and honest; generous; sincere (of a person… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

厚道 (hòu dao) describes a person who is genuinely kind, honest, and fair in dealings with others. Unlike 善良 (innate good nature), it emphasizes sincerity and not taking advantage of people.

adjective

kind and honestgeneroussincere (of a person's character)

Examples

厚道，。
Tā zhè ge rén hěn hòu dao, cóng lái bú huì piàn rén.
He is a very kind and honest person; he never cheats people.
，厚道。
Dà jiā dōu xǐ huan gēn tā hé zuò, yīn wèi tā zuò shì hòu dao.
Everyone likes to cooperate with him because he is honest in his work.
厚道，。
Zuò rén yào hòu dao, bù néng zhī xiǎng zhe zì jǐ.
One should be honest and kind, not just think of oneself.

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.

道dàomoral way

厚 means thick or generous, and 道 is the moral way.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

厂厂chǎngcliff; cave on a cliff
𣆪𣆪𣆪jug

The shape of 厚 puts 𣆪, a jug, beneath 厂, a cliff or cave.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Personality & Traits

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