How to Write 悌 (tì) — Meaning “brotherly love”

Picture a younger brother (弟) giving a warm, heartfelt (忄) hug to his older brother. This image of brotherly love and care will help you link the components to the meaning of 悌.

Start with the heart radical: write the left dot, then the right dot, then the vertical stroke downward. Then write 弟: first the reversed S shape, then the horizontal stroke, then the lower parts in order (horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, hook, and finally a downward stroke). A common mistake is making the vertical stroke of 忄 too short or writing the right side of 弟 too wide.

悌 contains 弟 (younger brother) and means "brotherly love." 怊 (chāo) contains 召 (to call) and means sorrow or sadness, but it is very rare. 怍 (zuò) contains 乍 (suddenly) and means ashamed or embarrassed. Visually, the right side of each character is different, and their meanings have nothing to do with brotherhood.

悌 today is mostly found in formal or literary expressions, especially the compound 孝悌 (xiào tì), which means filial piety toward parents and brotherly love among siblings. It is a key Confucian virtue and appears in discussions of traditional family ethics, not in everyday spoken Chinese.

Common words containing 悌 include: 孝悌 (xiào tì) — filial piety and fraternal love; 悌友 (tì yǒu) — brotherly friendship; 悌道 (tì dào) — the way of brotherly respect.