冀 (jì) — (bound form, literary) to hope; to long for; (bound form) abbreviation for Hebei Province

Definition

Literary bound morph meaning 'to hope / long for', almost always seen in 希冀 or 冀望. Also the abbreviation for Hebei Province (河北), used on license plates (冀A) and in formal writing.

bound form
(bound form, literary) to hopeto long forabbreviation for Hebei Province
Easily confused

Examples

  • 冀。
    Wǒ men jì wàng míng tiān huì gèng hǎo.
    We hope that tomorrow will be better.
  • 冀。
    Hé běi shěng de jiǎn chēng shì jì.
    The abbreviation for Hebei Province is Ji.
  • 冀A。
    Zhè liàng chē de chē pái yǐ jì A kāi tóu.
    The license plate of this car starts with Ji A.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
北北běi
Sound part声符shēngfú
異
異yì冀jì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

冀 pairs 北 with 異: 異 gives the sound, and 北 is the meaning part.

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