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得

de
HSK 2
#39 most
frequent character
"structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc"

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

得 was first written 㝵, showing a hand with a shell, meaning 'to get'. Later 彳 was added to stress the action. The meaning grew to 'result', 'able', and 'appropriate'; read děi, it means 'should'.

Drawn as: hand grasping cowrie shell

得 as a component in other characters

sound1 character
嘚

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Same Characters, Different Readings

得dé
need, must, have to, be sure to
HSK 4
得děi
to have to, must, ought to

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Public Lists with 得

HSK 2
All words for the HSK 2 test

Homophones

HSK 1
的de
of
HSK 3
地de
-ly
底de
(equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)

Grammar Points

HSK 3
Structural particle "de"
HSK 5
Adjectival complement "de budeliao"
HSK 5
Adjectival complement "de hen"
HSK 2
Degree complement