习气 (xí qì) — bad habit, undesirable practice (acquired over time)

Definition

习气 (xíqì) refers to ingrained habits, especially negative or undesirable ones acquired over time, often with a moral judgment. At HSK 7 it carries a more literary tone than everyday 习惯 ('habit').

noun
bad habitundesirable practice (acquired over time)

Examples

  • 习气。
    Tā shēn shàng de lǎn sǎn xí qì hěn nán gǎi diào.
    The lazy habits he has are hard to get rid of.
  • 习气。
    Zhè zhǒng guān liáo xí qì bì xū chè dǐ xiāo chú.
    This kind of bureaucratic habit must be completely eliminated.
  • 习气。
    Cóng xiǎo yǎng chéng de hǎo xí qì néng ràng rén shòu yì zhōng shēn.
    Good habits cultivated from childhood can benefit a person for life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

习xípractice
气qìtemperament

习 points to what is acquired through practice, and 气 to a settled temperament, giving a bad habit.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 習; 习 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 習 pairs 羽 (wings) with 日 (sun), showing a bird learning to fly; the simplified 习 is a later shorthand.

Open 习 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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