丁

• Pinyin: dīng
• Hanzi breakdown: 丁 = pictograph of a nail or peg; extended to fourth Heavenly Stem, adult male, small cube-shaped piece of food

Meaning

The fourth of the ten Heavenly Stems; an adult male person; a small cube or dice-cut piece of food.

One of the most versatile characters in Chinese. In the calendar system, it cycles through year names (丁酉年). 人丁 means people or population. 丁字路口 (T-junction) and 一丁点 (a tiny bit) are everyday terms. In cooking, 肉丁 (diced meat) and 黄瓜丁 (diced cucumber) are standard culinary vocabulary.

Examples

1. 人口普查数据显示，该地区人丁兴旺，近十年来新生儿数量保持平稳增长的良好态势。 Census data shows the area has a thriving population, with the number of newborns maintaining steady growth over the past decade.
2. 前面有个丁字路口，请提前将车道切换到左侧，按照导航指引完成转弯操作。 There’s a T-intersection ahead—move into the left lane early and make the turn as the navigation instructs.
3. 这道家常小炒只需将豆腐切成小丁，配上肉末和葱花翻炒，简单快手又十分美味下饭。 For this quick home-style stir-fry, just cut the tofu into small cubes and stir-fry it with ground meat and chopped scallions—simple, fast, and delicious with rice.

Usage Guide

Context: calendar, cooking, everyday speech, demographics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 家里人丁单薄，到了农忙时节全靠邻里乡亲互相帮忙才能完成收割，体现了村里守望相助的传统。(With few family members at home, they relied entirely on neighbourly mutual help to complete the harvest during the busy farming season — a reflection of the village's tradition of looking out for one another.)
• 这道凉拌菜里的胡萝卜需要切成均匀的小丁，大小一致才能保证腌制时充分均匀入味。(The carrots in this cold dish need to be cut into even small cubes — uniform size ensures the marinade penetrates evenly during pickling.)

Don't Say

• 今天是丁天 — 丁 is not used as a day-of-week designator; use 周几 or specific day names; in the calendar system 丁 refers to cyclical year and month designations, not daily time

Origin & History

丁 = pictograph of a nail or peg; extended to fourth Heavenly Stem, adult male, and small cube-shaped piece

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal