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地

Mandarin · pinyin de#

-ly
structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct

Mandarin · pinyin dì#

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Characters in this entry

地: de · dì · earth; soil, ground; region

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

5 · de5

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1character link5same-tone records

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 19 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dei6 · deng6

Cantonese word readings for 地. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

earth
ground; floor
land; field (Classifier: 塊／块 m c; 笪 c; 幅 c)
distance; separation
farmland; field (Classifier: 塊／块 m c; 笪 c)
(only in compounds) area; region
place; locality
status; situation; position
(only in compounds) state of mind
place; room; space
background (behind a text or figure)
(electronics) GND
(only in compounds) short for 地球 (Dìqiú, “Earth”)
(chiefly Hakka) grave; tomb
(Mainland China) short for 地區／地区 (dìqū, “prefecture”)

character · Etymology 2

(chiefly Mandarin) Particle indicating the preceding word is used as an adverb.

character · Etymology 3

(Cantonese) Placed after a reduplicated adjective or stative verb to lessen its intensity.

character · Etymology 4

(Hokkien, Teochew) alternative form of 塊 /块 (“place”)
(Taiwanese Hokkien) alternative form of 塊 /块 (“home”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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