道

dào

HSK 4

道 — dào

1. road; path; way

   这条道通向村子。 zhètiáo dào tōngxiàng cūnzi — This road leads to the village.

2. way; method; reason; principle (bound form)

   做事有方法，有道理就容易成功。 zuòshì yǒu fāngfǎ yǒu dàolǐ jiù róngyì chénggōng — If you have a method and it makes sense, success is easier.

3. a skill; an art; a specialization (bound form)

   他在医道上钻研多年。 tā zài yīdào shàng zuānyán duōnián — He has studied medicine as an art for many years.

4. the Dao; the Way (Daoism)

   老子认为道生万物。 lǎozi rènwéi dào shēng wànwù — Laozi believed that the Dao gives birth to all things.

5. to say; to introduce direct speech (literary/novelistic)

   他笑着道：“欢迎你回家。” tā xiào zhe dào huānyíng nǐ huíjiā — He smiled and said, "Welcome home."

6. to express; to extend (polite words)

   他亲自上门向老师道谢。 tā qīnzì shàngmén xiàng lǎoshī dàoxiè — He went in person to thank the teacher.

7. classifier for long thin things (rivers, cracks, shadows), barriers (walls, doors), questions, commands, courses in a meal, steps in a process

   这道题很难。 zhè dào tí hěn nán — This question is difficult.

8. (old) circuit; administrative division

   唐朝把全国分成十几道。 tángcháo bǎ quánguó fēnchéng shíjǐdào — The Tang dynasty divided the country into more than ten circuits.