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奇想 (qí xiǎng) — whim, caprice, a fanciful idea

Definition

奇想 (qíxiǎng) is a noun for a whimsical or fanciful idea — a sudden, imaginative notion rather than a practical plan. It implies something unusual or playful, not a serious thought.

noun
whimcapricea fanciful idea

Examples

  • 奇想，。
    Tā cháng cháng yǒu yì xiē qí xiǎng, dàn hěn shǎo qù shí xiàn.
    He often has some whimsical ideas, but rarely acts on them.
  • 奇想。
    Zhè ge shè jì lái zì yì shù jiā de yí gè qí xiǎng.
    This design came from the artist's caprice.
  • 奇想。
    Tā de qí xiǎng ràng tā zuò chū le hěn duō dú tè de jué dìng.
    Her whims led her to make many unique decisions.

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.

奇qístrange
想xiǎngthought

奇 means strange and 想 means thought; together they name a strange, fanciful idea.

Characters in this word

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
大大dàbig; great
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě奇
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奇 pairs 大 (big; great) with 可, a sound part.

Open 奇 →

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
心心xīnheart, mind
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng想xiǎng
Same sound today

想 has 心 (heart, mind) below 相 (to look at); the shape shows the mind looking at or considering something, and 相 also gives the sound.

Open 想 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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