dīng

目不识丁

Word · Noun · AdjectiveTraditional丁

fourth heavenly stem; adult male; small cube

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

4 senses · 6 examples
1.

noun

fourth of the ten Heavenly Stems

literary

Used in the traditional Chinese calendar and ordering system. Often paired with an Earthly Branch, e.g., 丁卯年.

Jīn今
nián年
shì是
dīng丁
mǎo卯
nián年
 。

This year is the year of Ding Mao.

2.

noun

adult male; member of a population

archaic

An archaic term for a grown man, now found in compounds like 壮丁. Also used for counting people, especially in a household, e.g., 人丁兴旺.

Zhè这
ge个
jiā家
zú族
rén人
dīng丁
xīng兴
wàng旺
 。

This family has a thriving population.

Tā他
bèi被
zhuā抓
qù去
dāng当
le了
zhuàng壮
dīng丁
 。

He was captured to serve as a conscripted laborer.

3.

noun

small cube; small piece (of food)

Used to describe small, cube-shaped items, especially in cooking, e.g., 黄瓜丁, 肉丁.

Tā她
bǎ把
hú胡
luó萝
bo卜
qiē切
chéng成
xiǎo小
dīng丁
 。

She cut the carrot into small cubes.

Gōng宫
bǎo保
jī鸡
dīng丁
lǐ里
yǒu有
huā花
shēng生
 。

Kung Pao Chicken has peanuts in it.

4.

adjective

fourth (in order or grade)

archaic

Rare usage, primarily in classical contexts.

Dīng丁
děng等
chéng成
jì绩
 。

A fourth-class grade.