Chinese

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Germany; virtue; goodness
Germany; virtue; goodness; morality; ethics; kindness; favour; character; kind
 
simp. and trad.
(德意志)
意志

Etymology

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Phono-semantic matching of German Deutsch (German). Doublet of 同濟同济 (Tóngjì) and 獨逸独逸 (Dúyì).

The tendency to use commendatory characters in country names was also seen in:

  • 美國美国 (Měiguó, “America; lit. pretty country”),
  • 英國英国 (Yīngguó, “England; lit. flower/outstanding country”) and
  • 法國法国 (Fǎguó, “France, lit. the law country”).

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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德意志

  1. (attributive or poetic) Germany (a country in Central Europe, formed in 1949 as West Germany, with its provisional capital Bonn until 1990, when it incorporated East Germany)

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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