端

耑

duān

立 + 耑

HSK 2.0Level 6

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

duān (noun) end; extremity

duān (verb) to hold level with both hands

duān (adjective) regular; correct

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 立 represents the meaning and 耑 represents the sound.

Semantic: 立 Phonetic: 耑

About

端 is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical 立, meaning 'to stand,' is on the left, and the phonetic component 耑 is on the right. The original meaning, 'to stand straight,' naturally extended to 'upright' and 'proper.' From the image of standing erect with a clear top and bottom, the meaning further broadened to the extremities, ends, or tips of things, whether physical or abstract. Consequently, the character expresses both abstract correctness and the physical or figurative edge, beginning, or conclusion of an object or matter.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈端来了热汤。

Māma duān lái le rè tāng.

Mom brought hot soup.

他端正地坐在椅子上。

Tā duānzhèng de zuò zài yǐzi shàng.

He sits upright on the chair.

请端详这幅画的细节。

Qǐng duānxiáng zhè fú huà de xìjié.

Please scrutinize the details of this painting.

这个问题有很多端倪。

Zhège wèntí yǒu hěn duō duānní.

This problem has many clues.

我们需要找到事情的端绪。

Wǒmen xūyào zhǎodào shìqíng de duānxù.

We need to find the beginning of the matter.

在数学中，端点是重要的概念。

Zài shùxué zhōng, duāndiǎn shì zhòngyào de gàiniàn.

In mathematics, endpoints are important concepts.

他端量着对方的实力。

Tā duānliáng zhe duìfāng de shílì.

He assessed the opponent's strength.

端坐不语是一种修养。

Duān zuò bù yǔ shì yī zhǒng xiūyǎng.

Sitting upright and silent is a kind of cultivation.

Related Characters

Component: 立

Component: 耑

端