定 (dìng) — to set, to determine, to fix (a time, plan, rule, etc.); to order (goods or services)
Definition
定 (dìng) covers two main uses: setting or fixing a plan/time/rule, and ordering goods (e.g. a coffee). Unlike 决定 (a decision you make), 定 emphasizes locking something in.
verb
to setto determineto fix (a time, plan, rule, etc.)to order (goods or services)
Examples
- 定。Wǒ men dé xiān dìng yí gè rì qī.We need to set a date first.
- 定。Wǒ dìng le yì bēi kā fēi.I ordered a cup of coffee.
- 。Jié guǒ hái méi dìng xià lái.The result hasn't been settled yet.
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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng定dìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
定 is built from 宀 and 正, with 正 supplying the sound.
Appears in
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