对 (duì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

对

duì[dui4]Tone 4

right, correct, towards, pair

HSK 1

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對

Guru Deep Dive

English · right, correct, towards, pair

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:5

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component (又) slightly narrower and positioned higher, allowing the right component (寸) to anchor the lower right space with its hook stroke.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form '對' features complex components on the left (獏/canon elements) which were simplified in modern Standard Mandarin to '又' for writing efficiency.

1. Meaning

right or correct

towards or facingconcerning or regardingto treat someone in a certain wayto match or adjustclassifier for a couple or pair

Adjective / Verb / Preposition / ClassifierNeutral#evaluation#direction#relationship#quantifier

Sample Usage

你说的对。
Nǐ shuō de duì.
What you said is correct.
他对我很友好。
Tā duì wǒ hěn yǒuhǎo.
He is very friendly towards me.

2. Sound

/[tu̯eɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

对

duìdui4

`(51)

=duì

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolar

Sounds like: d sound like in English 'dog'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No puff of air. Tissue remains still (sounds like English 't' in 'stop').

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -way sound like in English 'way'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'way'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: ui is short for uei

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom of your vocal range, sounding like an emphatic command or a sudden downward head nod.

👂

Listening trap: Beginners sometimes mistake the 'ui' final for an English 'oo-ee' sequence, when it is actually pronounced like '-uēi' with a prominent 'e' vowel sound in the middle.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, decisive chop downward with your hand, mirroring the falling pitch of a definitive 'Yes!'.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 5 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component (又) slightly narrower and positioned higher, allowing the right component (寸) to anchor the lower right space with its hook stroke.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form '對' features complex components on the left (獏/canon elements) which were simplified in modern Standard Mandarin to '又' for writing efficiency.

4. Components

Radical 寸 · Inch Radical (inch, thumb, wrist)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 寸 (Represents a hand measuring or adjusting, giving the sense of matching or correctness.)

On the left, you have '又' (again/hand); on the right, you have '寸' (thumb/measurement). A hand repeatedly measuring things until they line up perfectly gives us the concept of being 'right' or 'correct'.

又 Hand component
寸 Thumb or measurement unit

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

3· Phonetic Root: 对 (duì)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally a compound ideogram where two hands work together or measure to verify alignment and accuracy.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the physical action of matching or adjusting objects side-by-side to the abstract conceptual meaning of correctness ('right') and orientation ('towards').

In classical texts, it frequently denoted 'answering' or 'responding' in dialogue.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You raise your hand (又) and use your thumb (寸) to measure twice, making sure your answer is completely DUÌ (right and correct).

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

树(shù)

树 has a wood radical (木) on the left meaning 'tree', whereas 对 has the hand/again radical (又).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

老师说我的回答很[___]。

Clue: duì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the prepositional usage of 对 ('towards') with English word order, placing it after the verb instead of before the recipient.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 对, what two primary meanings (one evaluative, one directional) come to mind?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'correct' or 'towards' (duì) with 5 strokes?

对duìright, correct, towards, pair

Speed:

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