忒

tè

excessive, too; to err or mistake

Meaning

Adverb of degree: "Too," "excessively," or "very." Typically carries a negative or normative charge, denoting an improper excess.
Verb: "To err," "to make a mistake," or "to deviate."
Rare/Specialized: "Changeable" or unstable.

Grammar and usage

Adverbial modifier: Occurs before an adjective (忒 + Adj) to indicate that a quality has reached an improper extreme.
Predicate verb: Used as the main verb meaning to commit an error or stray from a standard.

Distinctions

Contrast with 太 (tài) and 过 (guò): While these are synonymous in terms of quantity, 忒 specifically signals a critique; it emphasizes the "wrongness" of the degree rather than just the scale of the quality.

Translator notes

The Excess-Error Link: There is a tight conceptual connection between the adverbial sense ("too much") and the verbal sense ("to err"). In most contexts, 忒 suggests a failure of balance or an overstepping of a boundary that results in a mistake.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.