狄 (dí) - Ancient term for northern tribes & barbarian

狄Tone 2

dí ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 犭

橙丁

狄 · dí

Ancient term for northern tribes;

barbarian;

a surname;

also refers to a kind of low-ranking official in ancient times.

Ancient term for northern tribesbarbariana surname

Usage highlights

Northern Di tribesDi peopleSurname DiDi tribeRong and Di barbariansDi official

Synonyms

  • 戎— western tribes; barbarians
  • 胡— northern tribes; barbarians
  • 蛮— southern tribes; barbarians

Antonyms

  • 华— Chinese; civilized (as opposed to barbarian)
  • 夏— Chinese; civilized (as opposed to barbarian)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The Di people were ancient northern tribes (狄人).
  • He has the surname Di (姓狄).
  • In ancient texts, 'Di' often referred to northern barbarians (北狄).
  • The character appears in historical records about ethnic groups (狄族).

Collocations

  • Northern Di tribes(北狄)
  • Di people(狄人)
  • Surname Di(狄姓)
  • Di tribe(狄族)
  • Rong and Di barbarians(戎狄)
  • Di official(狄官)

Idioms

  • The Di people's rebellion(狄人作乱)
  • Rong and Di invasion(戎狄入侵)
  • Repel the Di barbarians(攘狄)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used to refer to various non-Chinese tribes living north of China proper during ancient times.
  • Later became a Chinese surname, with notable historical figures like Di Qing, a famous general from the Song Dynasty.
  • In classical Chinese texts, often paired with 'Rong' (戎) to refer to northern and western barbarian tribes collectively.

FAQ