通牒

tōngdié
noun #55,467

Meanings

  1. 1 diplomatic note
  2. 2 ultimatum

Examples

HSK 5
Lǎobǎn gěi tā xià le tōngdié, yuèdǐ qián bìxū wánchéng.
The boss gave him an ultimatum: it has to be finished by the end of the month.
HSK 7-9
Gāi guó zhèngfǔ xiàng línguó dìjiāo tōngdié, yāoqiú qí sìshíbā xiǎoshí nèi chèjūn.
The government delivered a note to its neighbour demanding that it pull its troops out within forty-eight hours.

Tips

usage
On its own 通牒 is a formal note from one state to another, but nearly every use today is 最后通牒, the 'final note', an ultimatum. That phrase has spread from diplomacy to bosses, parents and partners.

Stroke Order

通 tōng
牒 dié