妥 tuǒ secure
secure; sound; appropriate; settled
How it came to be
A hand reaching down onto a kneeling woman. The hand holds her in place: settled and safe from the hand's point of view, and that is the sense the word kept.
How it is used
- Proper/settled/appropriate: 妥当 (tuǒdàng) / 妥善 (tuǒshàn) appropriate and careful, 稳妥 (wěntuǒ) safe and sure, 妥协 (tuǒxié) to compromise.
- 办妥 (bàntuǒ) = to get something properly done; 谈妥 (tántuǒ) = to reach a settled agreement.
- 不妥 (bùtuǒ) = not quite right/inappropriate - a polite way to flag a problem.