谛 meaning and stroke order
Careful, attentive; to examine; the truth
How to write 谛, stroke by stroke
11 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 谛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to examine
- truth (Buddhism)
How 谛 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 帝 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 谛
谛 combines 讠 (speech) with 帝 (dì, emperor), which gives the sound. Picture listening to every word an emperor speaks with careful attention, searching for the truth in it.
谛 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in set words like 真谛 (zhēndì) and in formal or Buddhist language, where it means truth. Example: 他终于明白了生活的真谛。(Tā zhōngyú míngbai le shēnghuó de zhēndì.) He finally understood the true meaning of life.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 谛 with 缔 (dì), as in 缔结 (dìjié, to conclude a treaty). Both use 帝 for the sound, but 谛 has the speech radical 讠 and relates to truth, while 缔 has the silk radical 纟 and relates to tying or forming.
Common words with 谛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 真谛 | zhēndì | the real meaning; the true essence |
Questions about 谛
How many strokes are in 谛?
谛 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 谛 mean?
谛 (dì) means careful, attentive; to examine; the truth. A common word with it is 真谛 (zhēndì), meaning "the real meaning; the true essence".
How do you pronounce 谛?
谛 is pronounced dì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 谛?
The radical of 谛 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 谛 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 谛?
The traditional form of 谛 is 諦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 谛 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 谛听 mean?
谛听 (dìtīng) means to listen carefully and attentively. It is a literary word, so in everyday speech people usually say 仔细听 (zǐxì tīng) instead.
How is 谛 used in Buddhism?
In Buddhist texts 谛 means a truth or teaching. The Four Noble Truths are called 四谛 (sìdì) in Chinese.