定向
dìng xiàng · HSK 7
directed
🧭 定 (fixed) + 向 (direction) = a fixed direction, i.e. oriented
When you set (定 dìng) a direction (向 xiàng), you orient yourself. Used for GPS-guided, targeted, or directional things — and literally for the sport of orienteering.
定 — roof 宀 + 正 (correct/upright, phonetic)
Originally written with 宀 (roof) over 正 (upright/correct), suggesting a household settled and orderly under its roof. Over time 正 simplified to 㐬-like form at the bottom, and the meaning shifted from 'settled home' to the broader senses of 'fix, stable, decide.'
向 — roof 宀 + mouth 口
Originally a pictograph of a house with a north-facing window, showing an opening in a wall under a roof. The early meaning was 'north window,' which extended to 'the direction something faces,' then broadly to 'toward' or 'direction.' The modern shape simplified the window into 口.