道

dào

road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3])

(bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quotation, as in a novel); (bound form) to express; to extend (polite words); classifier for long thin things (rivers, cracks, shadows etc), barriers (walls, doors etc), questions (in an exam etc), commands, courses in a meal, steps in a process; (old) circuit (administrative division)

movement (辶) + head/sound (首) = the road, the way, the principle

The movement radical 辶 carries the core meaning: a path you travel along. 首 mainly contributes the sound dào; yet there is a pleasing echo in the idea of a head leading the way.

辶+首→道
辶WalkingSemantic
首HeadPhonetic

前面有一道裂缝,走路要小心。

qián miàn yǒu yī dào liè féng , zǒu lù yào xiǎo xīn 。

There is a crack ahead, be careful when walking.

老师出了五道题,最后一道很难。

lǎo shī chū le wǔ dào tí , zuì hòu yī dào hěn nán 。

The teacher set five questions, and the last one was very difficult.

Words with 道

一道

yī dào

together

称道

chēng dào

to commend

道人

dào rén

Taoist devotee (honorific)

跆拳道

tái quán dào

taekwondo (Korean martial art)

夹道

jiā dào

a narrow street (lined with walls)

道义

dào yì

morality

轨道交通

guǐ dào jiāo tōng

metro

地道

dì dào

tunnel

地道

dì dao

authentic

说道

shuō dào

to state

说道

shuō dao

to discuss

道观

dào guàn

Daoist temple

More characters with 辶

迟迨迦迥连迢迤