匙 (chí) — spoon
Definition
匙 is a bound form meaning 'spoon' — it never stands alone and is always paired with another character (汤匙 soup spoon, 茶匙 teaspoon). Measure it with 把 or 个, not the classifier 把 alone for spoons in some uses.
bound form
spoon
Examples
- 。Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bǎ tāng chí.Please give me a soup spoon.
- 。Zuò dàn gāo xū yào jiā liǎng chá chí táng.To make a cake, you need to add two teaspoons of sugar.
- ，。Zhè bǎ tāng chí shì yín de, hěn zhēn guì.This soup spoon is silver and very precious.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
匕匕bǐspoon
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì匙chí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
匙 is made of 匕, meaning spoon, and 是, giving a sound hint.
Appears in
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