得

dé
#39 most
frequent character
need, must, have to, be sure to
verb

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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Example Sentences

你得每天学习中文。
nǐ dé měitiān xuéxí zhōngwén 。
You must study Chinese every day.
我们得准时到达。
wǒmen dé zhǔnshídàodá 。
We have to arrive on time.
你得确保你的作业完成。
nǐ dé quèbǎo nǐde zuòyè wánchéng 。
You must ensure that your homework is completed.

Words with similar meanings

必须bìxū
must
This word expresses a strong obligation or necessity, similar to '得', but is more formal.
要yào
to want/to need
'要' can imply necessity or desire, making it interchangeable in certain contexts with '得'.

Words Starting With 得

得意dé yì
proud of oneself; pleased with oneself; complacent
得不偿失dé bù cháng shī
(saying) the gains do not make up for the losses
得力dé lì
able; capable; competent; efficient
得天独厚dé tiān dú hòu
(of an area) rich in resources; (of a person) gifted or able (idiom)
得罪dé zuì
to commit an offense; to violate the law; excuse me! (formal); see also 得罪|得罪[de2 zui5]

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