象棋 (xiàng qí) — Chinese chess | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Chinese chess — a board game played with 32 pieces on a 9×10 grid, distinct from 围棋 (Go), which uses black and white stones on a 19×19 board.

noun

Chinese chess

Measure word · 副

Examples

象棋。
Wǒ yé ye hěn xǐ huan xià xiàng qí.
My grandfather really likes playing Chinese chess.
象棋？
Nǐ xué guò xiàng qí ma?
Have you learned Chinese chess?
象棋。
Tā mǎi le yí fù xiàng qí sòng gěi wǒ.
He bought a set of Chinese chess and gave it to me.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

象xiàngelephant

象 names the elephant, while 棋 names the game, together forming Chinese chess.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

象 is drawn as an elephant, with a long trunk, a head, and a big body.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木其棋

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwooden

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

其qí棋qí

Same sound today

棋 has 木 on the left, showing it was made of wood, and 其 on the right gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Games & Puzzles

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.