评定
píng dìng · HSK 7
to evaluate
⚖️ 评 appraise + 定 settle = weigh something then settle the verdict
评 means to appraise or comment on; 定 means to fix or settle. Together they mark the moment a review is weighed and a final judgment is locked in. Sound-alike: ping then ding, the ping of inspection landing on a settled ding of a decision.
评 — speech radical 讠 + flat 平
评 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 讠 (speech) signals it relates to spoken judgment or discussion, while 平 (flat, level) provides the sound and hints at weighing things evenly. Together they convey appraising or commenting fairly.
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.'