绮 (qǐ) — (bound form) patterned silk fabric; (bound form) fine, elegant, gorgeous
Definition
A literary bound form meaning 'patterned, gorgeous silk' (绮罗) or 'fine and elegant' (绮丽, 绮梦). It appears almost only in set phrases for poetic or ornate writing.
bound form
patterned silk fabricfineelegantgorgeous
Easily confused
- 椅yīlook-alike(bound form) chair (used in compounds like 椅子, 轮椅)
- 起qǐsound-alike(verb) to get up; to rise
- 埼qílook-alikeheadland, promontory (a narrow piece of land that juts out into the sea)
- 岂qǐsound-alike(adverb, rhetorical) how could it be that...?; surely not...? (used to express strong negation or disbelief)
- 倚yǐlook-aliketo lean on (physically)
- 启qǐsound-alike(bound form) to open, to start
Examples
- 绮。Qiū tiān de shān lín yí piàn qǐ lì fēng guāng.The autumn forest is a stretch of gorgeous scenery.
- 绮。Gǔ shí guì fù cháng chuān qǐ luó zhì chéng de yī qún.In ancient times, noblewomen often wore dresses made of fine silk gauze.
- 绮。Zhè wèi shī rén de zuò pǐn chōng mǎn qǐ mèng yǔ xiá xiǎng.This poet's works are full of beautiful dreams and fancies.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 綺; 绮 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
The traditional form 綺 pairs 糸 (silk) with 奇, which gives the pronunciation; the simplified 绮 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.
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