Today’s word of the day is 德 (dé) which means ‘morality’. Let’s practice making different words, phrases, and sentences with 德 (dé).
公德心 (gōng dé xīn) Public spirit
The first word is 公德心 (gōng dé xīn) which means ‘public spirit’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 公 means public, 德 means morality and 心 means heart. It refers to the respect you have for society. For example, not littering or creating a public nuisance, etc. A way of using it in a sentence is 做没有公德心事情的人一定会得到教训。(Zuò méiyǒu gōngdé xīn shìqíng de rén yīdìng huì dédào jiàoxùn.) Those who do things with no regard for society will surely be taught a lesson.
道德 (dào dé) Moral
Another word we can create with 德 (dé) is 道德 (dào dé). This means ‘moral’. Let’s again look at each character of this word, 道 means principle and 德 means morality. A way of using it in a sentence is 这个故事教给我们的道德课是什么？(Zhège gùshi jiào gěi wǒmen de dàodé kè shì shénme?) What moral lesson did this story teach us?
品德 (pǐn dé) Moral character
Finally, we can create the word 品德 (pǐn dé) which means ‘moral character’. The 品 here means quality. A way of using it in a sentence is 她是一个品德高尚的人。(Tā shì yīgè pǐndé gāoshàng de rén.) She is a person with high morals.