第二十二 (dì èr shí èr) — twenty-second (ordinal)

Definition

numeral
twenty-second (ordinal)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 第二十二。
    Tā zhù zài dì èr shí èr céng.
    He lives on the twenty-second floor.
  • 第二十二。
    dì èr shí èr Jiè ào yùn huì shì zài běi jīng jǔ bàn de.
    The 22nd Olympic Games were held in Beijing.
  • 第二十二。
    Zhè běn shū de dì èr shí èr zhāng hěn yǒu yì si.
    The twenty-second chapter of this book is very interesting.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

第dìordinal
二十二twenty-two
二èrtwo十shíten二èrtwo
联合Side by side

第 gives 二十二 an ordinal sense: twenty-second.

Characters in this word

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
𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
弟
弟dì第dì
Same sound today

第 shows 𥫗, the bamboo strips once used for writing and sorting, with 弟 giving the sound.

Open 第 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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