1.
virtue; moral excellence; good character
Moral goodness and integrity of character. A central concept in Confucian and Buddhist ethics, referring to the inner quality of a morally admirable person.
徳のある人だ。
He is a person of virtue.
徳を積むことが大切だ。
It's important to accumulate virtue.
彼は人望も厚く、徳の高い指導者だと評されている。
He is regarded as a highly virtuous leader who commands great respect.
2.
grace; favor; benefit received
Kindness, benevolence, or benefit bestowed by someone, especially someone in a position of authority or spiritual power.
ご恩とご徳に感謝します。
I am grateful for your kindness and grace.
仏の徳をたたえる。
To praise the virtue of the Buddha.
先人の徳のおかげで、今日の繁栄がある。
Today's prosperity exists thanks to the virtue of our predecessors.
A fundamental concept in East Asian philosophy and ethics, deeply rooted in Confucian thought. Appears in many personal names, place names, and historical terms.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 徳を積む: to accumulate virtue (through good deeds)
- 徳が高い: of high virtue; morally excellent
- 徳のある人: a virtuous person
- 人徳: personal virtue; charisma based on character
- 道徳: morality, ethics
- 美徳: a virtue; a good quality
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 得: profit, advantage — a homophone but unrelated; means 'gain' or 'benefit' in a practical sense
- 仁: benevolence — a specific Confucian virtue focusing on compassion toward others
- 善: good, goodness — more abstract; the general concept of good vs. evil
CULTURAL NOTE:
徳を積む (accumulating virtue) is a widely used expression in Japanese culture, reflecting the Buddhist and Confucian idea that good deeds build up spiritual merit. The concept appears in the name of the historical Tokugawa (徳川) clan.