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伎俩 (jì liǎng) — trick, scheme, ploy; skill, ability (literary, less common)

Definition

Negative word for a trick, scheme, or underhanded tactic — always carries a sense of deceit or low skill. 手段 is a neutral word for 'means/methods' that becomes negative only with context.

noun
trickschemeployskillability (literary, less common)
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 伎俩。
    Tā de nà xiē jì liǎng piàn bù liǎo wǒ.
    His tricks can't fool me.
  • 伎俩。
    Shāng rén shǐ yòng gè zhǒng jì liǎng lái huò qǔ lì yì.
    Businessmen use various schemes to gain profit.
  • 伎俩。
    Zhè wèi huà jiā de jì liǎng fēi cháng gāo chāo.
    This painter's skill is very high.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

伎jì
俩liǎ

The characters carry no meaning here; 伎俩 means a trick or scheme.

Sound-only characters

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
支
支zhī伎jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伎 combines 人, meaning “person,” with 支, which gives the sound.

Open 伎 →

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 倆; 俩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
兩
兩liǎng倆liǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This note is about the traditional form 倆, not the simplified 俩. In 倆, 亻 is the person part and 兩 gives the sound.

Open 俩 →
Appears in
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