TongTong
Sign in

督 (dū) — (bound form) to superintend, direct, supervise

Definition

督 (dū) is a bound morpheme meaning 'to supervise / direct', almost always paired with a partner like 监, 促, or 导 (监督, 督促, 督导). It does not stand alone as a verb.

bound form
to superintenddirectsupervise

Examples

  • 。
    Zhèng fǔ xū yào jiā qiáng jiān dū.
    The government needs to strengthen supervision.
  • 。
    Lǎo shī dū cù xué shēng wán chéng zuò yè.
    The teacher urged the students to finish their homework.
  • 。
    Gōng sī qǐng le yí wèi dū dǎo lái jiǎn chá gōng zuò.
    The company hired a supervisor to inspect the work.

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
叔
叔shū督dū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

督 pairs 目 (eye) with 叔, which gives the sound; the shape shows looking over or overseeing with eyes.

Appears in
Management

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.