地 meaning in English
-ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct
Meaning of 地
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- -ly
- structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct
- earth
- ground
- field
- place
- land
Measure word: 片
How to use 地
As dì, it means ground, land, or place, and appears in many common words like 地图 (dìtú, map) and 地铁 (dìtiě, subway). As the neutral-tone particle de, it links an adverbial phrase to the verb that follows, much like English -ly: 他慢慢地走。(Tā mànmàn de zǒu.) He walks slowly.
地 combines 土 (tǔ, soil) on the left with 也 (yě) on the right. Think of soil spreading out as far as you can see, and you have the earth and the ground, dì.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the three particles pronounced de: use 地 before a verb (高兴地说), 的 before a noun (高兴的人), and 得 after a verb to describe result or degree (说得很好). Also remember that 地方 meaning place is read dìfang with a neutral second syllable.
地 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
地 de · -ly · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 地.
| 地方 | dìfang | region; regional (away from the central administration) |
| 地上 | dìshang | on the ground; on the floor |
| 地点 | dìdiǎn | place; site |
| 地图 | dìtú | map |
| 地球 | dìqiú | the earth |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | underground railway; subway; subway train |
| 草地 | cǎodì | lawn; meadow |
| 外地 | wàidì | parts of the country other than where one is |
| 地铁站 | dìtiězhàn | subway station |
| 地区 | dìqū | region; area (informal or geographical term); prefecture (in China's administrative system |
| 当地 | dāngdì | local |
| 各地 | gèdì | in all parts of (a country); various regions |
Questions about 地
What does 地 mean?
地 (de) means "-ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct" and is used as a auxiliary verb and noun.
How do you write 地?
地 is made of 1 character: 地 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 地 an HSK word?
Yes. 地 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I know whether 地 is read dì or de?
If 地 sits between a description and a verb, as in 认真地学习 (rènzhēn de xuéxí), it is the particle de. When it means ground, land, or place, or forms part of a noun like 地点 (dìdiǎn), it is read dì.
Can I leave out 地 after an adverb?
Often yes. Single-syllable adverbs like 快 or 很 never take it, and with some two-syllable words it is optional in speech. It is most natural after reduplicated words like 慢慢 or adjectives used as adverbs, such as 高兴地.