德

惪
dé
#256 most
frequent character
virtue
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

德 joins 彳, for movement or action, with 㥁, a sound part meaning 'heart not crooked'. Together they gave the first sense, 'act virtuously'. The meaning later grew to 'good, goodness'.

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Example Sentences

德行是人们最重要的品德。
déxíng shì rénmén zuì zhòngyào de pǐndé 。
Virtue is the most important quality in people.
我们应该学习古人的德。
wǒmen yīnggāi xuéxí gǔrén de dé 。
We should learn the virtues of ancient people.
德与智同样重要。
dé yǔ zhì tóngyàng zhòngyào 。
Virtue is as important as wisdom.

Same Characters, Different Readings

德De2
Germany, German, abbr. for 德國|德国[De2 guo2]
德dé
virtue
德dé
virtue

Words with similar meanings

品德pǐndé
moral character
A more formal term referring to the ethical qualities of a person.
美德měidé
moral virtue
Focuses on the positive moral qualities, often associated with ideal behavior.

Homophones

得dé
need, must, have to, be sure to
德dé
virtue

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