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地 (dì) — (noun) ground, land, floor (as a surface)

Definition

地 (dì) means the ground, land, or floor as a surface — outdoors, it is the earth or fields; indoors, it is the floor you walk on. Compare 土地 (territory, soil) and 地面 (the visible surface, indoors or out).

noun
groundlandfloor (as a surface)
Measure word · 片
Easily confused

Examples

  • 地，。
    dì Hěn zāng, xū yào dǎ sǎo.
    The floor is dirty and needs to be cleaned.
  • 地。
    Nóng mín zài dì lǐ zhǒng le hěn duō cài.
    Farmers grow many vegetables in the fields.
  • ，。
    Xiǎo xīn dì shàng yǒu shuǐ, bié huá dǎo le.
    Careful, there is water on the ground, don't slip.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3500 Most Frequent Chinese Words1000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsGeography & Landforms2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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