Meaning of 底
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- 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 to use 底
底 means the bottom or base of something, and it also marks the end of a time period, as in 年底 (niándǐ) and 月底 (yuèdǐ). It appears in common words like 到底 (dàodǐ) and 彻底 (chèdǐ). Example: 我月底要交房租。(Wǒ yuèdǐ yào jiāo fángzū.) I have to pay rent at the end of the month.
底 (dǐ) has the shelter radical 广 on top and 氐 (dǐ) underneath, which also gives the sound. Picture something sitting at the very bottom, under a roof, low down at the base of a building.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 底 (dǐ) with 低 (dī, low). They look and sound alike, but 低 has the person radical 亻 and a first tone, while 底 has 广 and a third tone. Also note that 底 has a small dot under 氐 that is easy to forget.
底 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.
底 dǐ · bottom · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 底.
| 到底 | dàodǐ | finally; in the end |
| 底下 | dǐxia | the location below sth; afterwards |
| 年底 | niándǐ | end of the year |
| 彻底 | chèdǐ | thorough; thoroughly |
| 月底 | yuèdǐ | end of the month |
| 海底 | hǎidǐ | seabed; seafloor; bottom of the ocean |
| 底线 | dǐxiàn | bottom line; the limit of what one is prepared to accept; (sports) baseline |
| 说到底 | shuōdàodǐ | in the final analysis; in the end |
| 底层 | dǐcéng | ground floor; first floor; lowest level; lowest rung (of society etc) |
| 垫底 | diàndǐ | to put sth on the bottom; to eat sth to tide oneself over until mealtime |
| 谜底 | mídǐ | answer to a riddle |
| 底蕴 | dǐyùn | inside information; concrete details |
Questions about 底
What does 底 mean?
底 (dǐ) means "bottom; base; background; foundation" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 底?
底 is made of 1 character: 底 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 底 an HSK word?
Yes. 底 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
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 following.
How is 到底 used in questions?
In a question, 到底 (dàodǐ) adds the feeling of 'after all' or 'exactly', often showing impatience. For example, 你到底去不去？(Nǐ dàodǐ qù bu qù?) means 'Are you going or not?'