底 meaning and stroke order
Bottom; base; background; foundation; copy (of a manuscript or receipt etc) kept as a record
How to write 底, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 底
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bottom; base
- background; foundation
- copy (of a manuscript or receipt etc) kept as a record
- (suffix) end of a year or month
- (math.) radix; base (abbr. for 底數|底数[di3 shu4])
- (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)
How 底 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Building.
广 gives the meaning and 氐 hints at the sound.
Radical: 广 (broad), shared by 60 characters on this site.
How to remember 底
底 is built from 广 (a building with a roof) and 氐 (dǐ), which gives the sound. Picture the lowest floor of a building, the base everything rests on, and you have 底, the bottom.
底 means the bottom or base of something, and it also marks the end of a time period, as in 年底 (niándǐ, end of the year) and 月底 (yuèdǐ, end of the month). The word 到底 (dàodǐ) is very common in questions to mean "after all" or "exactly". Example: 你到底想去哪儿？ (Nǐ dàodǐ xiǎng qù nǎr?) Where exactly do you want to go?
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 底 with 低 (dī, low), which has the same phonetic 氐 but a person radical 亻 and a first tone. Remember that 底 with the building radical is a noun for a place (the bottom), while 低 is an adjective meaning low.
Common words with 底
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 到底 | dàodǐ | finally; in the end | HSK 3 |
| 底下 | dǐxia | the location below sth; afterwards | HSK 3 |
| 年底 | niándǐ | end of the year | HSK 3 |
| 彻底 | chèdǐ | thorough; thoroughly | HSK 4 |
| 月底 | yuèdǐ | end of the month | HSK 4 |
| 海底 | hǎidǐ | seabed; seafloor; bottom of the ocean | HSK 6 |
| 底线 | dǐxiàn | bottom line; the limit of what one is prepared to accept; (sports) baseline | HSK 7-9 |
| 说到底 | shuōdàodǐ | in the final analysis; in the end | HSK 7-9 |
| 底层 | dǐcéng | ground floor; first floor; lowest level; lowest rung (of society etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 垫底 | diàndǐ | to put sth on the bottom; to eat sth to tide oneself over until mealtime | HSK 7-9 |
| 谜底 | mídǐ | answer to a riddle | HSK 7-9 |
| 底蕴 | dǐyùn | inside information; concrete details | HSK 7-9 |
| 底子 | dǐzi | base; foundation | HSK 7-9 |
| 功底 | gōngdǐ | training in the basic skills; knowledge of the fundamentals | HSK 7-9 |
底 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 底
How many strokes are in 底?
底 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 底 mean?
底 (dǐ) means bottom; base; background; foundation; copy (of a manuscript or receipt etc) kept as a record. A common word with it is 到底 (dàodǐ), meaning "finally; in the end".
How do you pronounce 底?
底 is pronounced dǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 底?
The radical of 底 is 广, which carries the idea of "broad". Dictionaries list 底 under this radical.
Is 底 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 底 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 底下 and 下面?
Both can mean "below" or "underneath". 底下 (dǐxia) often stresses being directly under something, as in 桌子底下 (under the table), while 下面 (xiàmian) is more general and can also mean "next" or "the following".
Why is 底 sometimes read de instead of dǐ?
In older written Chinese, especially early 20th century texts, 底 was used as a possessive particle pronounced de, like 的. You will see this in some older literature, but in modern Chinese you should use 的.