Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (扌) should occupy roughly one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right component (氐) wider and slightly taller.
1. Meaning
to resist or withstand; to prop up
to balance or offsetto mortgage or use as collateralto arrive at or reach
VerbFormal#actions#finance#physics
Sample Usage
我们要全力抵御外敌。
wǒmen yào quánlì dǐyù wàidí.
We must do our utmost to resist foreign enemies.
这笔钱可以抵消损失。
zhè bǐ qián kěyǐ dǐxiāo sǔnshī.
This sum of money can offset the losses.
2. Sound
/[ti²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
抵
dǐdi3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=dǐ
Initial Consonant
d
Type: Unaspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: d as in English 'do'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No puff of air. Tissue remains still (sounds like English 't' in 'stop').
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip pressed against the alveolar ridge
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: ee sound as in 'bee'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts mid-low, dips deeply down, and rises back up, similar to a disbelieving English 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, dǐ changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35).
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with 1st tone (dī) or 4th tone (dì) due to the fast pace of native speakers skimming over the dipping contour in multi-syllable compounds.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down from chest level to your lowest point, then sweep upward.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (扌) should occupy roughly one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right component (氐) wider and slightly taller.
4. Components
Radical扌 · Hand Radical (hands, actions, physical manipulation)
Semantic Clue (形旁):扌 (indicates a physical action performed with the hand or body)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):氐 (original sound: dǐ)
A hand (扌) pushes firmly against a foundation or base (氐) to prop it up or resist pressure.
扌 hand / action
氐 base / root (provides sound and structural support)
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
17· Phonetic Root: 氐 (dī)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the hand radical (扌) representing physical force and 氐 (dǐ, base/bottom) giving the phonetic and the core idea of pressing down or holding firm at the base.
Semantic Evolution: Originally meaning to stop or support from below, it expanded to cover financial offsetting, mortgaging, and general resistance.
The component 氐 originally depicted a person stooping down, which naturally tied into notions of grounding and foundational support.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
để
The Sino-Vietnamese reading 'để' preserves the core etymology and shares a similar high/dipping vocal modulation.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: テイ (tei) / Kun: あて.る (ate.ru)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
저
Sound Shift Bridge: The dental stop 'd-' in Mandarin corresponds to similar stop consonants across East Asian cognates and Indo-European roots.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You use your HAND (扌) to push against the BASE (氐) of a falling wall, trying to RESIST and PROP IT UP.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
低
dīlowUses the person radical (亻) instead of hand (扌); a person stooping low.
底
dǐbottom, baseUses the shelter/cliff radical (广); the bottom of a cave or house.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
低(dī)
抵 has the hand radical (扌) for actions like pressing/resisting; 低 has the person radical (亻) for height.
底(dǐ)
抵 has the hand radical (扌); 底 has the cliff/shelter radical (广).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我们需要采取 measures 来[___]通货膨胀的影响。
Clue: dǐ xiāo
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing it with 氐 or writing the right component with incorrect stroke order inside the vertical hook.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 抵 in a vocabulary word like 抵抗 (to resist), what is its core physical action?
Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to resist or offset' that combines the hand radical with 'base' (氐)?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
Search theme
Accent preference
Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.
抵dǐto resist, prop up, or offset
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...