奇特 (qí tè) — peculiar, unusual, strange | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Means 'peculiar, unusual' in a neutral, descriptive way — noting something stands out, not judging it. 离奇 and 蹊跷 are stronger, hinting something is 'bizarre' or 'suspicious'; 稀奇 emphasizes rarity; 别致 adds an aesthetic 'interesting' flavor.

adjective

peculiarunusualstrange

Examples

奇特。
Zhè ge rén de xiǎng fǎ hěn qí tè.
This person's ideas are very peculiar.
奇特。
Zhè jiàn yī fu de shè jì fēi cháng qí tè.
The design of this piece of clothing is very unusual.
奇特。
Tā jiǎng le yí gè qí tè de gù shi.
He told a strange story.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

奇qístrange

特tèspecial

奇 and 特 both suggest unusualness, together giving a peculiar, distinctive quality.

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.

大可奇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

大大dàbig; great

Sound part声符shēngfú

可

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.

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

牛寺特

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

寺sì特tè

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 牛 (ox) with 寺, which gives the pronunciation; it originally meant a large bull.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Good & Bad

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