(tài dù) - attitude, manner in Mandarin
tàidùTraditional: 態度
Translation
attitude, manner
Word origin
A compound of 态 (tài, form, bearing, manner) and 度 (dù, measure, degree), so the measure of how one carries oneself.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 态 (tài, bearing) + 度 (dù, measure)
Stroke order
态
度
Examples
。
His attitude is very poor.
。
The waiter's manner puts people at ease.
。
We need to show a serious attitude.
。
Her attitude to work has changed.
。
The manner of speaking matters more than what is said.
态度 (tài dù) covers two things English keeps apart: the stance you hold on a question, and the manner in which you behave towards people. 他对这件事的态度 is a position; 他的态度很差 is rudeness. Context does all the work of telling them apart.
The second sense is the one that comes up constantly in daily life, because service culture in China is discussed almost entirely in terms of 态度. A complaint about a shop or a hospital is far more often 态度不好 than any accusation of incompetence.
For an English speaker the trap is the bare noun. English "he has an attitude" already means a bad one, but Chinese 态度 is neutral and needs a word attached: 好态度, 态度不好, 认真的态度. Say 他有态度 and you have said almost nothing at all.
Where this fits
Used in
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态度: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "态度" (attitude, manner): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 47.