导 (dǎo): to transmit, to lead, to guide
导 (dǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “to transmit.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 巳 (structural) and 寸 (structural). It ranks #343 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 导 a hand 寸 pointing the way to someplace 巳. Its radical form 寸 (inch) appears in many related characters such as 对 (duì, right), 封 (fēng, to confer), 将 (jiāng, will).
Definitions
- to transmit
- to lead
- to guide
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand 寸 pointing the way to someplace 巳
Decomposition: ⿱巳寸 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 导 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 导
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 导致 | dǎo zhì | to lead to | 5 |
| 领导verb/noun | lǐng dǎo | lead | 5 |
| 指导verb | zhǐ dǎo | to guide | 5 |
| 引导verb | yǐn dǎo | to guide | 6 |
| 导师noun | dǎo shī | tutor | 6 |
| 辅导verb | fǔ dǎo | to give guidance | 6 |
| 主导verb/noun | zhǔ dǎo | leading | 6 |
| 导游verb/noun | dǎo yóu | tour guide | 4 |
| 导演verb/noun | dǎo yǎn | to direct | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 导弹 | dǎo dàn | (guided) missile |
| 报导 | bào dǎo | to report (in the media) |
| 教导 | jiào dǎo | to instruct |
| 导航 | dǎo háng | (lit. and fig.) to navigate |
| 误导 | wù dǎo | to mislead |
| 向导 | xiàng dǎo | guide |
| 导管 | dǎo guǎn | duct |
| 辅导员 | fǔ dǎo yuán | coach (teacher or trainer) |
| 导火索 | dǎo huǒ suǒ | fuse (for explosive) |
| 诱导 | yòu dǎo | to induce |
| 开导 | kāi dǎo | to talk sb round |
| 传导 | chuán dǎo | to conduct (heat, electricity etc) |
| 倡导 | chàng dǎo | to advocate |
| 导向 | dǎo xiàng | to be oriented towards |
| 导火线 | dǎo huǒ xiàn | fuse (for explosives) |
导 appears in 100 compound words: 44 as the first character, 41 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 导 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (2)
Example Sentences
这个导字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě dǎo zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "导" had different meanings in classical Chinese.
男生小便后甩一甩会不会导致尿失禁?盆底肌松弛者需谨慎吗
nán shēng xiǎo biàn hòu shuǎi yī shuǎi huì bù huì dǎo zhì niào shī jīn ? pén de jī sōng chí zhě xū jǐn shèn ma
Will a boy's throw after urinating cause urinary incontinence? Should people with loose pelvic floor muscles be cautious?
016“光忠”号导弹护卫舰启程前往澳大利亚参加2026年卡...
0 1 6 guāng zhōng hào dǎo dàn hù wèi jiàn qǐ chéng qián wǎng ào dà lì yà cān jiā 2 0 2 6 nián kǎ . . .
016 The missile frigate "Guangzhong" departed for Australia to participate in the 2026 card...
日本品牌让出主导权 谁将成为电视业新霸主?
rì běn pǐn pái ràng chū zhǔ dǎo quán shéi jiāng chéng wéi diàn shì yè xīn bà zhǔ ?
Japanese brands give up dominance Who will become the new hegemon of the TV industry?
18岁青年认等钱使七度收骗款 被判入教导所
1 8 suì qīng nián rèn děng qián shǐ qī dù shōu piàn kuǎn bèi pàn rù jiào dǎo suǒ
The 18-year-old was sentenced to a correctional institution for accepting fraudulent money seven times
公股投信“四合一”迈步 第一金投信可望主导 合并后排名看第七
gōng gǔ tóu xìn sì gě yī mài bù dì yī jīn tóu xìn kě wàng zhǔ dǎo gě bìng hòu pái míng kàn dì qī
Public stock investment trust "four-in-one" step First Gold Investment Trust is expected to dominate the ranking after the merger
我的驾驶导师说我应该耐心一点。
Wǒ de jiàshǐ dǎoshī shuō wǒ yīnggāi nàixīn yīdiǎn.
My driving instructor says I should be more patient.
请遵循护士的指导。
Qǐng zūnxún hùshi de zhǐdǎo.
Please follow the nurse's directions.
他教导我们说, 哥伦布发现了美洲。
Tā jiàodǎo wǒmen shuō, Gēlúnbù fāxiàn le Měizhōu.
He taught us that Columbus discovered America.
酗酒是导致阳痿的一个因素。
Xùjiǔ shì dǎozhì yángwěi de yī gè yīnsù.
Excessive drinking is one of the causes of impotence.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 导 (dǎo) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 导 have?
What is the radical of 导?
What are the components of 导?
What are common words containing 导?
What characters sound the same as 导 (dǎo)?
Is 导 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 导 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.