Definition
弟 (dì) is a bound form (不自由语素)—you rarely use it alone in modern spoken Chinese. It appears as the second syllable in compounds like 兄弟 (brothers), 弟子 (disciple/pupil), and 徒弟 (apprentice). In formal letters, a man may refer to himself as 弟 as a humble first-person pronoun (e.g., 弟某某 'I, your younger brother'). The two common functions are: (1) 'younger brother' as a constituent of family‑related words, and (2) an archaic/humble self‑reference in epistolary style.
b.f.
younger brother (as a bound form in compounds like 兄弟, 弟子)(in letters, humble) Iyour younger brother
Examples
- ，。Tāmen liǎ shì qīn xiōng dì, gǎnqíng fēicháng hǎo.The two of them are blood brothers and get along very well.
- ，。Kǒngzǐ yǒu sānqiān dì zǐ, qí zhōng zuì zhùmíng de shì Yán Huí.Confucius had three thousand disciples, the most famous of whom was Yan Hui.
- ：‘弟’。Tā zài xìn de mòwěi xiě dào: ‘Yú dì mǒumǒu jìng shàng’.At the end of the letter, he wrote: 'Your humble younger brother so-and-so respectfully submits.'
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