Meaning of 道德
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- virtue
- morality
- ethics
Measure word: 種|种
How to use 道德
道德 is a noun for morality or ethics, often used in phrases like 有道德 (yǒu dàodé, to be moral) or 道德问题 (dàodé wèntí, a moral issue). It can also describe things, as in 不道德 (bù dàodé, immoral). Example: 这样做不道德。(Zhèyàng zuò bù dàodé.) Doing this is immoral.
道 (dào) is the path or way, and 德 (dé) is virtue. Together, 道德 is the right path a virtuous person walks in life.
Common mistake: Learners often say 德 with a third tone or neutral tone. Both syllables are fourth tone: dàodé is dào plus dé (second tone), so be careful not to flatten 德 into dè. Also, 德 has a 心 at the bottom and a horizontal line above it that is easy to forget when writing.
道德 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.
道 dào · road · 12 strokes
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德 dé · virtue · 15 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 道德.
| 知道 | zhīdào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 味道 | wèidào | flavor; taste; (fig.) feeling (of ...); sense (of ...); hint (of ...) |
| 道理 | dàolǐ | reason; argument |
| 道路 | dàolù | road; path |
| 难道 | nándào | don't tell me ...; could it be that...? |
| 报道 | bàodào | to report (news); report |
| 街道 | jiēdào | street; subdistrict |
| 频道 | píndào | frequency; (television) channel |
| 道歉 | dàoqiàn | to apologize |
| 一道 | yīdào | together |
| 轨道 | guǐdào | track (for trains etc); orbit (of a satellite) |
| 大道 | dàdào | main street; avenue |
Questions about 道德
What does 道德 mean?
道德 (dàodé) means "virtue; morality" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 道德?
道德 is made of 2 characters: 道 (12 strokes), 德 (15 strokes). That is 27 strokes in total.
Is 道德 an HSK word?
Yes. 道德 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 道德 and 伦理?
道德 (dàodé) is the everyday word for morality and personal moral standards. 伦理 (lúnlǐ) means ethics in a more formal or academic sense, as in 医学伦理 (yīxué lúnlǐ, medical ethics).
Can 道德 be used as an adjective?
It is mainly a noun, but it works like an adjective after 很, 不 or 有, as in 很不道德 (hěn bù dàodé, very immoral). To say a person is moral, 有道德 (yǒu dàodé) is the most natural choice.