对

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 对 (duì) is composed of two parts: the radical 目 (mù), which means "eye", and the phonetic component 対 (duì), which means "to oppose" or "to face". The original meaning of 对 was "to look at each other", which later extended to mean "to confront", "to oppose", and "to match". In modern Chinese, 对 is used in a variety of contexts, including:- As a noun, 对 means "a pair", "a couple", or "a match". For example, 一对筷子 (yī duì kuàizi) means "a pair of chopsticks".- As a verb, 对 means "to face", "to confront", or "to oppose". For example, 他对我说 (tā duì wǒ shuō) means "he said to me".- As a preposition, 对 means "to", "towards", or "for". For example, 我对他很尊敬 (wǒ duì tā hěn zūn jìng) means "I respect him very much".The character 对 is also used in a number of idioms and proverbs. For example, the idiom 针锋相对 (zhēn fēng xiāng duì) means "to be diametrically opposed", while the proverb 礼尚往来 (lǐ shàng wǎng lái) means "courtesy demands reciprocity".The character 对 is a versatile and important character in Chinese. It is used in a wide variety of contexts, and it is essential for HSK learners to understand its meaning and usage.