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翅 (chì) — wing (bound form, used in compounds like 翅膀); shark's fin (bound form, used in compounds like 鱼翅)

Definition

翅 (chì) is a bound morpheme meaning 'wing' or 'fin' — it never stands alone and almost always combines with 膀 (翅膀 = wing) or 鱼 (鱼翅 = shark's fin).

bound form
wing (bound form, used in compounds like 翅膀)shark's fin (bound form, used in compounds like 鱼翅)

Examples

  • 。
    Xiǎo niǎo de chì bǎng shòu shāng le.
    The little bird's wing is injured.
  • 。
    Zhè dào cài yòng de shì yú chì.
    This dish uses shark's fin.
  • 。
    Hú dié de chì bǎng hěn piào liang.
    The butterfly's wings are very beautiful.

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
羽羽yǔfeathers
Sound part声符shēngfú
支
支zhī翅chì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

翅 uses 羽, meaning feathers, for the meaning and 支 for the sound. The 羽 part shows the character is about a wing or fin shape.

Appears in
Body Parts

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