定居
dìngjū · HSK 7
settle down
🏡 定 (fixed) + 居 (reside) = fixed residence, settle down
Ding sounds like 'ding!' — a bell confirming something is final. Ju means to dwell. Together: your dwelling is finalized, you've put down roots and stopped moving around.
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.'