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不济 (bù jì) — (of health, ability) poor, not good; (of luck) bad, unfortunate

Definition

不济 (bùjì) is a literary/written adjective meaning 'poor, failing' — used for declining health, weak ability, or bad luck. Almost always appears after the noun it modifies (身体不济, 时运不济).

adjective
(of health, ability) poornot good(of luck) badunfortunate

Examples

  • 不济，。
    Tā zuì jìn yǎn shén bù jì le, kàn dōng xī hěn mó hu.
    His eyesight has been poor recently; he sees things blurry.
  • ，不济，。
    Tā suī rán hěn yǒu cái huá, dàn shí yùn bù jì, yì zhí méi yǒu chéng gōng.
    Although he is very talented, his luck has been bad and he hasn't succeeded.
  • 不济，。
    Tā shēn tǐ bù jì, bù néng zuò jù liè yùn dòng.
    His health is poor; he cannot do strenuous exercise.

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.

不bùnot
济jìgood

不 (not) and 济 (good, able) combine to mean poor health, ability, or luck.

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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 濟; 济 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
齊
齊qí濟jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 濟 pairs 水 (water) with 齊, which gives the sound; the simplified 济 is a later shorthand.

Open 济 →
Appears in
Good & Bad

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