鸡奸 (jī jiān) — sodomy

Definition

A formal/legal term referring to anal sex. Used mainly in legal, academic, or historical writing; in everyday speech people just describe the act directly.

noun
sodomy

Examples

  • 鸡奸。
    Zhè bù fǎ lǜ jìn zhǐ jī jiān xíng wéi.
    This law prohibits sodomy.
  • ，鸡奸。
    Lì shǐ shàng, jī jiān bèi shì wéi yì zhǒng jìn jì.
    Historically, sodomy was considered a taboo.
  • 鸡奸。
    Tā zài lùn wén zhōng fēn xī le jī jiān de shè huì yǐng xiǎng.
    He analyzed the social impact of sodomy in his paper.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most 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 雞; 鸡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuīshort-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
奚
奚xī雞jī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雞 pairs 奚, which gives the sound, with 隹, a short-tailed bird. The simplified 鸡 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 奚.

Open 鸡 →

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
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān奸jiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奸 is written with 女 (woman) on the left and 干 on the right; the evidence says 干 gives the sound and 女 marks the meaning.

Open 奸 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.