激 (jī) — to surge, to dash (of water, emotions); to arouse, to stimulate, to excite
Definition
Usually appears in compounds (激动, 激发, 激活) rather than alone. The first meaning is water or emotions surging; the second is arousing or stimulating something like enthusiasm or a system.
verb
to surgeto dash (of water, emotions)to arouseto stimulateto excite
Examples
- 。Hǎi làng jī qǐ le gāo gāo de shuǐ huā.The waves surged up high spray.
- 。Tā de yǎn jiǎng jī fā le dà jiā de ài guó rè qíng.His speech aroused everyone's patriotic enthusiasm.
- 。Zhè zhǒng yào kě yǐ jī huó rén tǐ de miǎn yì xì tǒng.This medicine can activate the body's immune system.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo激jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
In 激, the 氵 side marks water, and 敫 gives the sound jiǎo; the original sense is water swashing.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.