挺

The Chinese character 挺 (tǐng) is composed of two parts: the radical 扌(shǒu), which indicates that the character is related to hand or action, and the phonetic component 丁 (dīng). The original meaning of 挺 is "to lift up" or "to support". In modern Chinese, it has extended meanings such as "to stand upright", "to be firm", "to be brave", "to be quite", etc.The character 挺 first appeared in oracle bone inscriptions, the earliest form of Chinese writing. In these inscriptions, 挺 was depicted as a hand holding up a stick or a weapon. This suggests that the original meaning of 挺 was "to lift up" or "to support".In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the scholar Xu Shen compiled the Shuowen Jiezi, a dictionary of Chinese characters. In the Shuowen Jiezi, Xu Shen defined 挺 as "to lift up". He also noted that 挺 could be used as a verb or a noun.Over time, the meaning of 挺 has expanded. In modern Chinese, it can be used as a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. As a verb, 挺 means "to lift up", "to support", or "to stand upright". As an adjective, 挺 means "firm", "brave", or "quite". As an adverb, 挺 means "very" or "quite".The character 挺 is commonly used in Chinese idioms and proverbs. For example, the idiom 挺身而出 (tǐng shēn ér chū) means "to stand up for justice". The proverb 宁为玉碎，不为瓦全 (nìng wéi yù suì, bù wéi wǎ quán) means "it is better to be broken jade than to be a whole tile".The character 挺 is also used in Chinese names. For example, the name 挺立 (tǐng lì) means "to stand tall". The name 挺进 (tǐng jìn) means "to advance bravely".