督

dū

叔 + 目

Definitions

dū (verb) to supervise; to oversee

dū (noun) supervisor; superintendent

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 目 represents the meaning and 叔 represents the sound.

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 叔

About

The character 督 is a phono-semantic compound: the eye radical 目 at the bottom conveys the meaning of watching, observing, and visual oversight, while the upper component 叔 gives the sound. Its definition revolves around supervision, active management, and directing others within a hierarchical structure, implying an authoritative watchfulness to guarantee tasks are correctly performed and rules obeyed. As a result, it is key in terms for military commanders, government inspectors, educational administrators, and all those charged with overseeing complex operations and enforcing strict compliance.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈督促我写作业。

Māma dūcù wǒ xiě zuòyè.

Mom urges me to do my homework.

老师监督学生考试。

Lǎoshī jiāndū xuéshēng kǎoshì.

The teacher supervises the students during the exam.

总督访问了那个城市。

Zǒngdū fǎngwèn le nàgè chéngshì.

The governor visited that city.

专家来督导我们的工作。

Zhuānjiā lái dūdǎo wǒmen de gōngzuò.

Experts came to guide and supervise our work.

公司派专人监督项目进度。

Gōngsī pài zhuān rén jiāndū xiàngmù jìndù.

The company assigned a specialist to supervise the project progress.

经理亲自督战新产品的发布。

Jīnglǐ qīnzì dūzhàn xīn chǎnpǐn de fābù.

The manager personally supervised the launch of the new product.

由于监督不力，工程出现了问题。

Yóuyú jiāndū bù lì, gōngchéng chūxiàn le wèntí.

Due to inadequate supervision, problems arose in the project.

政府设立独立机构以监督公共资金的使用。

Zhèngfǔ shèlì dúlì jīgòu yǐ jiāndū gōnggòng zījīn de shǐyòng.

The government established an independent agency to supervise the use of public funds.

Related Characters

Component: 叔

Component: 目

督