笃 (dǔ) — (bound form) sincere, earnest, devoted; (bound form, of illness) critical, grave
Definition
Bound form meaning 'sincere / devoted' (e.g. 笃信, 笃实) or 'critical / grave' of an illness (病笃). It never stands alone — it only attaches to another character as a prefix.
bound form
sincereearnestdevoted(bound form, of illness) criticalgrave
Examples
- 。Tā dǔ xìn zì jǐ de pàn duàn.He firmly believes in his own judgment.
- 笃，。Tā xué xí hěn dǔ shí, cóng bù tōu lǎn.She studies with great earnestness and never slacks off.
- 笃，。Lǎo rén bìng dǔ, jiā rén fēi cháng zháo jí.The old man's illness is critical, and his family is very worried.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 篤; 笃 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
竹
竹zhú篤dǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 篤 pairs 馬 (horse) with 竹 for sound; this is about 篤, not about the simplified 笃.
Appears in
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