great virtue; outstanding virtue
Rare, formal term for exceptional moral excellence or virtue, typically found in classical or literary contexts.
His life was praised as a model of great virtue.
Classical texts contain many words extolling the great virtue of rulers.
高徳 also means 'high virtue' and is somewhat more common than 偉徳, but still literary.
Standard kanji form for this rare term; 偉 means 'great' and 徳 means 'virtue'.
Variant kanji form using 懿 (excellent, virtuous); even rarer than 偉徳.
Composed of 偉 (great, admirable) and 徳 (virtue, moral excellence). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term appears in classical Chinese-influenced Japanese texts.