品德
pǐn dé · HSK 7
moral character
品德 = 品 quality/grade + 德 virtue = a person's moral grade
品 is built from three 口 mouths and means rank or quality; 德 means virtue or morality. Together they rate the quality of someone's virtue, hence moral character. 德 sounds like the start of dignity.
品 — three 口 (mouth) stacked
品 is an ideogram showing three 口 (mouths or openings) piled together. The repetition of 口 suggests many people, items, or voices, which gave rise to meanings like 'kinds,' 'goods,' 'rank,' and 'to taste/judge.' The triple stacking is a common Chinese device for indicating plurality or variety.
德 — 彳 step + 直 straight + 心 heart
Originally written with 彳 (step/walk) plus 直 (straight) and 心 (heart), depicting walking a straight path with an upright heart. The bronze and seal forms emphasized inner uprightness, and the meaning shifted from 'straight conduct' to 'virtue, moral character,' and by extension 'kindness' or 'Germany' as a phonetic loan.