脐 (qí) — (bound form) navel; belly button
Definition
Bound form used only in compounds like 肚脐 (navel) and 脐带 (umbilical cord). It never stands alone as a word.
bound form
navelbelly button
Easily confused
- 挤jǐlook-alike(verb) to squeeze, to press; to crowd in
- 其qísound-alike(possessive pronoun: his, her, its, their (used before a noun)
- 济jǐlook-alikebound form used in place names, originally referring to the Ji River (Shandong)
- 骑qísound-aliketo ride (a horse, bike, or other vehicle one sits astride)
- 齐qísound-alike(adjective) neat, even, uniform
- 旗qísound-alikeflag, banner
Examples
- 。Tā de dù qí shàng yǒu yí gè xiǎo dòng.There is a small hole on her belly button.
- 。Yī shēng xiǎo xīn dì jiǎn duàn le yīng ér de qí dài.The doctor carefully cut the baby's umbilical cord.
- 。Dù qí shì yīng ér chū shēng hòu liú xià de hén jì.The belly button is the mark left after a baby is born.
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 臍; 脐 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
齊
齊qí臍qí
Same sound today
The traditional form 臍 pairs 肉 (meat/flesh) with 齊, which gives the sound; the simplified 脐 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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