HanziGuru.迪 · dí
迪
dí[di2]Tone 2

to enlighten

HSK 7
Guru Deep Dive

English · to enlighten

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Cached lesson
雙生字Twin Character Traps (雙生字)
View in Twin Characters
  • Often confused with 迫 (pò) — 迫 contains 白 where 迪 contains 由 — in 由 the vertical pokes above the box, in 白 a left-fall sits on top of the box.
    迫 vs 迪Drill this pair
11. Meaning

to enlighten, to guide, to instruct

pathwayto follow
VerbLiteraryBound morpheme#education#guidance#intellect
Logic Map — how this character is really built
  • 辶the Winding Roadenclosing
  • 由the Sprouting Jarenclosed

Guiding footsteps trace along the Winding Road （辶） while the Sprouting Jar （由） cues the pronunciation dí. Shedding light on the path ahead, this character means to enlighten.

Sound part: 由 (yóu) → cues the reading dí.
Sample Usage
  • 启迪
    qǐ dí
    to enlighten, enlightenment
  • 后生可畏，焉知来者之不如今也？
    hòu shēng kě wèi, yān zhī lái zhě zhī bù rú jīn yě?
    Classic literature context mentioning guidance and potential.
22. Sound
/[ti²⁵]/Tone: 35
迪
dídi2
++
´(35)
=dí
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
di
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
d
Type: Unaspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: d as in 'dog'
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 behind the upper teeth
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ee as in 'see'
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'd-' (d/t) with final '-i' (ee).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at a mid pitch and rises sharply to the top, exactly like asking 'Huh?' or 'Really?' in English.
Sandhi: When followed by a Tone 4 syllable, the tone 2 rises less steeply, staying around mid-pitch before dropping.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with the aspirated counterpart tí (Tone 2), which requires an explosive puff of air.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 is a rising tone. Move your hand diagonally upward from left to right, matching an inquiring intonation like saying 'What?'
33. Writing8 strokes · animate & practice
44. Components

Radical 辶 · Walking Radical (movement, motion, path)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 辶 (Indicates movement, path, or guiding someone along a way)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 由 (original sound: dí)

A guiding path (辶) combined with origin/source (由). To enlighten someone is to lead them along a path toward the source of truth.

  • 由phonetic clue and core root indicating source
  • 辶semantic walker / path radical
55. HistoryOriginally combined 由 (source/origin) with 辵 (movement), depicting the act of...
66. SinosphereSino-Vietnamese địch · Kanji (Japanese) テキ (teki) · Hanja (Korean) 적
77. Memory
88. Mastery老师的话给了我很大的[___]。
🎬 Videos12 clips · real-world usage