定 调 子

dìng diào zidictionary entry

to set the tone

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-68ff1124817d9364. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

定調子定调子 [ding4 diao4 zi5] /to set the tone/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 定調子

定
dìng
to fix / to set / to make definite / to subscribe to (a newspaper etc) / to book (tickets etc) / to order (goods etc) / to congeal / to coagulate / (literary) definitely
调
diào
to transfer / to move (troops or cadres) / to investigate / to enquire into / accent / view / argument / key (in music) / mode (music) / tune / tone / melody
tiáo
to harmonize / to reconcile / to blend / to suit well / to adjust / to regulate / to season (food) / to provoke / to incite
子
zǐ
son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat / viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wǔ děng jué wèi] / ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) / subsidiary / subordinate / (prefix) sub-
zi
noun suffix, as in 椅子[yǐ zi] "chair"

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.