汲 (jí) — (formal/literary) to draw water from a well
Definition
Literary/classical verb for 'drawing water from a well.' Learners will meet it mainly in fixed expressions like 汲取 ('to draw, to汲取 lessons/insight').
verb
(formal/literary) to draw water from a well
Easily confused
- 吸xīlook-aliketo inhale, to breathe in
- 集jísound-alike(noun) collection, anthology, collected works
- 极jílook-alikeextremely
- 及jísound-alike(conjunction) and; as well as (used in formal writing to connect nouns or noun phrases)
- 级jílook-alikelevel, grade, rank
- 吉jísound-alikelucky, auspicious (bound morpheme used in compounds and surnames)
Examples
- 汲。Gǔ rén cóng jǐng zhōng jí shuǐ yǐn yòng.Ancient people drew water from wells for drinking.
- 汲。Tā měi tiān qīng chén dōu yào qù jǐng biān jí shuǐ.Every morning he would go to the well to draw water.
- 汲。Zhè ge cūn zhuāng de jū mín réng rán yòng chuán tǒng fāng shì jí shuǐ.The residents of this village still draw water using traditional methods.
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.
In 汲, 氵 (from 水, water) shows water, and 及 gives the sound.
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