Meaning
to set; to fix; to determine; to decide; to order
Chinese: 确定、固定。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “ding” becomes a different word in each tone. 定 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 一定yī dìngsurely; certainly; definitely; fixed
- 不一定bù yī dìngnot necessarily; maybe
- 决定jué dìngto decide; to determine; to make up one's mind; decision (
- 确定què dìngdefinite; certain; fixed; to fix (on sth)
- 规定guī dìngto stipulate; to specify; to prescribe; to fix (a price)
Example Sentence
我们定好了见面的时间。Wǒ men dìng hǎo le jiàn miàn de shí jiān.We have set the time to meet.
我们Wǒ menwe定dìngto fix好hǎogood了le(completed action)见面jiàn miànto meet的deof时间shí jiān(concept of) time。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A roof (宀) over 正/疋 (settled, upright): things put right and settled under a roof — ‘to settle, fix, decide; stable; certainly’.
A way to remember it
Settled and upright under a roof — fixed, decided.
Easy to confuse with
- 走‘To walk’: a similar lower component, but no roof on top.