地dì

地

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Simplified form (簡體). 地 (dì, "earth, ground") remains unchanged from traditional writing — the earth radical 土 paired with 也, where the ancient 也 once served as a phonetic component. This fundamental character anchors countless words from 土地 (land) and 地球 (planet) to 地点 (location) and 地图 (map), forming the very ground upon which Chinese writing walks.

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Shuowen

地. The oracle bone 地 combines the earth radical “土” (soil) with the phonetic component “也,” which originally depicted a snake and later provided sound; together they represent “the ground, the earth.” The character originally depicted the solid ground beneath, with the “也” element adding phonetic clarity, and its form reflects the ancient concept of the land as a stable surface upon which all things rest, giving rise to the modern meaning of “earth, ground, place.”

Pinyin

dì· HSK 1

地dì

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin