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皆 (jiē) — (formal) all, each and every

Definition

皆 (jiē) is a formal, written adverb meaning 'all' — most common in literary or classical-style Chinese. Unlike the everyday 全都, it appears in set phrases and proverbs, not casual speech.

adverb
(formal) alleach and every
Easily confused

Examples

  • 皆。
    Rén rén jiē yǒu mèng xiǎng.
    Everyone has dreams.
  • 。
    Cǐ shì jiē dà huān xǐ.
    This matter makes everyone overjoyed.
  • 皆。
    Wàn wù jiē kě rù huà.
    All things can be painted.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
虍虍hū
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ皆jiē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early form 皆 used 虍 and 口 to show meaning and 几 to show sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Quantity & Amount5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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