Meaning of 特地
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- specially
- for a special purpose
How to use 特地
特地 comes before a verb to show that an action was done deliberately for one purpose, often a kind or thoughtful one. Example: 他特地来机场接我。(Tā tèdì lái jīchǎng jiē wǒ.) He came to the airport specially to pick me up.
特 (tè) means special, and 地 here works like the adverb marker 地 (de), so 特地 is doing something in a special way, on purpose. Picture someone making a special trip just for you.
Common mistake: Learners often read 地 here as dì in 地方 (dìfang) and forget it describes manner, not a place. Also, do not swap in 特别 (tèbié) when you mean on purpose: 特别 means especially or very, while 特地 means specially for a reason.
特地 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.
特 tè · special · 10 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 9
- 10
地 de · -ly · 6 strokes
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- 4
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- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 特地.
| 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 |
| 特别 | tèbié | unusual; special; very; especially; particularly |
| 地球 | dìqiú | the earth |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | underground railway; subway; subway train |
| 草地 | cǎodì | lawn; meadow |
| 特点 | tèdiǎn | characteristic; trait; feature |
| 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 |
Questions about 特地
What does 特地 mean?
特地 (tèdì) means "specially; for a special purpose" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 特地?
特地 is made of 2 characters: 特 (10 strokes), 地 (6 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 特地 an HSK word?
Yes. 特地 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 特地 and 特意?
They are very close and often interchangeable. 特意 (tèyì) puts a bit more stress on the intention behind the action, while 特地 is common in everyday narration about making a special effort.
Is 特地 pronounced tèdì or tèdi?
Dictionaries list it as tèdì with a fourth tone on 地. In fast speech some speakers soften it, but tèdì is the standard form to learn.