斋期 (zhāi jī) — fasting days | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

The designated period in a religion during which believers abstain from food (or certain foods). Shorter and more general than 斋月, which names one specific Islamic month.

noun

fasting days

Examples

，斋期。
Yī sī lán jiào de zhāi yuè qī jiān, mù sī lín měi tiān dōu yào zūn shǒu zhāi jī.
During the Islamic month of Ramadan, Muslims observe fasting days every day.
斋期，。
Tā zài zhāi jī lǐ zhī hē shuǐ, bù chī rèn hé shí wù.
During the fasting days, he only drinks water and eats no food.
斋期，。
Xǔ duō zōng jiào dōu yǒu tè dìng de zhāi jī, xìn tú men huì zài zhè qī jiān jìn shí.
Many religions have specific fasting days, during which believers abstain from food.

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.

斋zhāifasting

期qīperiod

斋, meaning fasting, and 期, meaning period, together give fasting days.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 齋; 斋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

示示shìgod; deity

Sound part声符shēngfú

齊

齊qí齋zhāi

Same sound today

The traditional form 齋 pairs 示 (deity) with 齊 as a sound part; the simplified 斋 is a shorthand.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

其qí期qī

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

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