的
bright; (particle)
At a glance · 的
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
小篆从白，勺声，本义为明亮、鲜明。后世多用作助词，本义渐隐。未见甲骨文。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
本义为明亮、白净，后虚化为助词。
Structure
形声字，从白（意符，表洁白），勺（sháo/di)为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinde
Radical白
Strokes8
UnicodeU+7684
Character type形声
Theme状态
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
bright; (particle)
Originally bright; now a grammatical particle.
Français
brillant; (particule)
À l’origine brillant ; aujourd’hui une particule.
Español
brillante; (partícula)
Originalmente brillante; hoy partícula gramatical.
العربية
ساطع؛ (أداة)
كان يعني ساطع؛而今 أداة نحوية.
Русский
яркий; (частица)
Изначально яркий; ныне грамматическая частица.
Common words
- 的díclear
- 的确dí quèindeed