牒 meaning and stroke order
Documents, records; to dispatch
How to write 牒, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 牒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (official) document
- dispatch
How 牒 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Flat 片 pages 片 of wood.
Radical: 片 (slice), shared by 7 characters on this site.
How to remember 牒
牒 is built from 片 (piàn), a flat slice of wood, and 枼 (yè), which shows leaves on a tree. Picture thin wooden slips stacked like leaves, the old way official records were written.
牒 is a formal, literary character for official documents. Today you will mostly see it in fixed words like 通牒 (tōngdié, diplomatic note) and 最后通牒 (zuìhòutōngdié, ultimatum). Example: 他们向对方发出了最后通牒。 (Tāmen xiàng duìfāng fāchū le zuìhòu tōngdié.) They issued an ultimatum to the other side.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 牒 with 碟 (dié, small plate) and 蝶 (dié, butterfly). All three share the right side 枼 and the same sound. Remember that only the one with 片 on the left means a document.
Common words with 牒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 最后通牒 | zuìhòutōngdié | ultimatum |
Questions about 牒
How many strokes are in 牒?
牒 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 牒 mean?
牒 (dié) means documents, records; to dispatch. A common word with it is 最后通牒 (zuìhòutōngdié), meaning "ultimatum".
How do you pronounce 牒?
牒 is pronounced dié, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 牒?
The radical of 牒 is 片, which carries the idea of "slice". Dictionaries list 牒 under this radical.
Is 牒 used in everyday conversation?
Not really. Outside of 最后通牒 and some historical or Buddhist terms like 度牒 (dùdié, a monk's ordination certificate), it rarely appears. For everyday documents people say 文件 (wénjiàn).
Why does 牒 sound like 叶 (yè) if it contains 枼?
枼 is an older form linked to 叶 (yè, leaf), but characters built on it often moved to a dié sound, as in 碟 and 蝶. So use 枼 as a clue to the dié family, not to the yè sound.