得

得 (radical 60, 彳+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 竹人日一戈 (HOAMI), four-corner 2624₁, composition ⿰彳㝵)

• 𫣓, 嘚, 𡐙, 𪮦, 𬈫, 𣘱, 𬋂, 𥊤, 𥕣, 𮔹, 𤹬, 𭏢

• KangXi: page 367, character 31
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10137
• Dae Jaweon: page 691, character 16
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 828, character 3
• Unihan data for U+5F97

Historical forms of the character 得
Shang		Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Bronze inscriptions	Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu Slip and silk script	Small seal script

Ideogrammic compound (會意) . The ancient form of 得 is 㝵, composed of 貝 (“cowry”) + 又 (“hand”) — to pick up a cowry > to obtain valuables. A component 彳 was sometimes added to show that the cowry was picked up on the road.

In the Qin Bamboo and Slip script:

• a horizontal line was add to the 又, which means it is replaced with the related 寸. This is a feature of Qin script, and many characters which used to compound with 又 now compound with 寸.

In the Shouwen seal script:

• the 貝 corrupts into something resembling 見. However, this should be an error of Shouwen, because it only can be only found in Shouwen rather historical Qin Seal script and Qin Bamboo and Slip script.

In the clerical script:

• the 貝 simplified as 目 (“eye”), such simplification can be seen in its early form like Spring and Autumn and Warring States bronze inscriptions and Chu Bamboo an Silk script as well as other characters such as 具. Then it corrupts into 旦 (“dawn”) in later clerical script, and Regular script inherited it.

Pulleyblank (1991) relates it to Tibetan ཐུབ (thub, “to be able to; to withstand”).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

得

1. to get; to obtain; to gain, to acquire

   他得了個壞名聲。 / 他得了个坏名声。  ―  Tā dé le ge huài míngshēng.  ―  He gained a bad reputation.

2. to contract (disease); to become ill with
3. to result in; to produce
4. to be ready; finished
5. to suit; to fit
6. fit; proper
7. satisfied; contented
8. (formal, often used in the negative) can; may; to be permitted

   • 非依法定程序之逮捕、拘禁、審問、處罰，得拒絕之。 [MSC, trad.]
     非依法定程序之逮捕、拘禁、审问、处罚，得拒绝之。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: Article 8, Constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

     Fēi yī fǎdìng chéngxù zhī dàibǔ, jūjìn, shěnwèn, chùfá, dé jùjué zhī. [Pinyin]

     Any arrest, detention, trial, or punishment which is not in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law can be resisted.

9. (Cantonese) to only have; to just have

   得佢想去公園咋。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   得佢想去公园咋。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   Dak¹ keoi⁵ soeng² heoi³ gung¹ jyun^4-2 zaa³. [Jyutping]

   Only he wants to go to the park.

   得返一分鐘。 / 得返一分钟。 [Cantonese]  ―  Dak¹ faan¹ jat¹ fan¹ zung¹. [Jyutping]  ―  There's just one minute left.

10. interjective particle expressing approval or prohibition; see 得了

    得了，別再說了。 / 得了，别再说了。  ―  Dé le, bié zài shuō le.  ―  OK! OK! That's enough.

    得喇，知道喇。 [Cantonese]  ―  Dak¹ laa³, zi¹ dou³ laa³. [Jyutping]  ―  OK! Got it.

    • 我有個表姪女兒，今年二十六，談了好幾個對象了都沒談成。她媽啊，一直託我幫忙呢。得，甭別人了，就是她了。 [Beijing Mandarin, trad.]
      我有个表侄女儿，今年二十六，谈了好几个对象了都没谈成。她妈啊，一直托我帮忙呢。得，甭别人了，就是她了。 [Beijing Mandarin, simp.]

      From: 2000, 梁左 and 梁欢, 《闲人马大姐》, episode 7

      Wǒ yǒu ge biǎozhínür, jīnnián èrshíliù, tán le hǎo jǐ ge duìxiàng le dōu méi tán chéng. Tā mā a, yīzhí tuō wǒ bāngmáng ne. Dé, béng biérén le, jiù shi tā le. [Pinyin]

      I've got a niece who's 26 years old this year, who's already dated several guys but none worked out. Her mum's been nagging me to find a guy for her. Alright, we'll set the two up then. There's no need to find someone else.

11. interjective particle expressing frustration or helplessness

得

1. Used after a verb or an adjective and before a complement.

   好得很  ―  hǎo de hěn  ―  very good

   他痛得直哭。  ―  Tā tòng de zhí kū.  ―  He is in so much pain that he won't stop crying.

   他跑得快。  ―  Tā pǎo de kuài.  ―  He runs fast.

   他跑得像一陣風。 / 他跑得像一阵风。  ―  Tā pǎo de xiàng yī zhèn fēng.  ―  He runs like wind.

   看得見 / 看得见  ―  kàn de jiàn  ―  able to see

   他畫得好。 / 他画得好。  ―  Tā huà de hǎo.  ―  He paints well.

   alt. forms: 的 historical or nonstandard

2. Used after a verb to express possibility or capability.

   吃得  ―  chī de  ―  eatable, edible

   做不得  ―  zuò bù de  ―  must not be done

   這雙鞋穿得。 / 这双鞋穿得。  ―  Zhè shuāng xié chuān de.  ―  These shoes fit well.

   這個人批評不得。 / 这个人批评不得。  ―  Zhège rén pīpíng bù de.  ―  He's not a man to criticize.

   • 賣得幾多錢？ [Cantonese, trad.]
     卖得几多钱？ [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 《氹氹轉，菊花園》, traditional children's song

     Maai⁶ dak¹ gei² do¹ cin^4-2? [Jyutping]

     How much can it sell for?

   alt. forms: 的 historical or nonstandard

• When it is used between a verb and the complement, and the complement is used to indicate possibility or capacity, the negative form replaces 得 with 不 (bù).
  • 寫得好 / 写得好  ―  xiě de hǎo  ―  able to write well
  • 寫不好 / 写不好  ―  xiě bù hǎo  ―  unable to write well

  If there is no complement, or if the complement describes the result or the extent of the verb, the negative form has 得不 in the place of 得.

  • 寫得好 / 写得好  ―  xiě de hǎo  ―  write well
  • 寫得不好 / 写得不好  ―  xiě de bù hǎo  ―  write not well

• If it is used after a verb-object construction, the verb is repeated again as "verb-object-verb-得-complement".
  • 寫字寫得好 / 写字写得好  ―  xiězì xiě de hǎo  ―  write characters well

  "Object-verb-得-complement" is also used.

  • 字寫得好 / 字写得好  ―  zì xiě de hǎo  ―  characters being well-written

得

1. (colloquial) to need (something)
2. (colloquial) must; to have to

   我得走了。  ―  Wǒ děi zǒu le.  ―  I must go (now).

   ……是種病，得治！ [MSC, trad.]
   ……是种病，得治！ [MSC, simp.]

   ...... shì zhǒng bìng, děi zhì! [Pinyin]

   ... is actually an illness. It has to be treated! (humorous, slang)

• (must):

• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01291
• “得”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database), 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. acquire

• Go-on: とく (toku, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: とく (toku, Jōyō)
• Kun: える (eru, 得る, Jōyō); うる (uru, 得る, Jōyō)

• 得 (え)る (eru)

得 • (deuk) (hangeul 득, revised deuk, McCune–Reischauer tŭk, Yale tuk)

1. obtain, achieve
2. gain, benefit
3. satisfaction
4. virtue (same as 德)

• 得失 (득실, deuksil)
• 得意 (득의, deugui)
• 利得 (이득, ideuk)
• 獲得 (흭득, hwikdeuk)

得 (đắc, được)

1. to get, to obtain.

• Nom Foundation