端正
duān zhèng · HSK 7
correct
🧍 端 (end/upright) + 正 (straight/correct) = standing straight and proper
端 means an endpoint or to hold upright, 正 means straight or correct. Together they describe someone whose posture and conduct are both perfectly aligned — upright in body and right in behavior.
端 — 立 stand + 耑 (phonetic, sprout)
端 combines 立 'to stand' with phonetic 耑, which originally depicted a plant sprouting with roots and shoots — its tips at both ends. The semantic 立 reinforces 'upright,' giving 端 meanings like 'end, tip, extremity' and by extension 'upright, proper.'
正 — one 一 + stop 止
Originally an ideograph showing a foot (止) advancing toward a target line (一), meaning 'to march straight toward' a city or goal. From this came the senses 'upright,' 'correct,' and 'proper.' The military sense survives in 征 (to campaign), which took over the original 'march' meaning.