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奇迹 (qí jì) — miracle, marvel, wonder

Definition

奇迹 (qíjì) is a noun: a 'miracle' or 'wonder' — an extraordinary event that seems impossible. Stronger and more concrete than the adjective 神奇 ('magical'), which describes a quality rather than a single event.

noun
miraclemarvelwonder
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 奇迹。
    Tā néng huó xià lái zhēn shì gè qí jì.
    It's a miracle that he survived.
  • 奇迹。
    Dà zì rán chuàng zào le wú shù qí jì.
    Nature has created countless wonders.
  • ，奇迹。
    Zhè ge hái zi néng xué huì zǒu lù, jiǎn zhí shì qí jì.
    It's simply a miracle that this child can learn to walk.

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.

奇qístrange
迹jìtrace

‘奇’ means strange and ‘迹’ means trace, together suggesting a strange trace or miracle.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dàbig; great
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě奇
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奇 pairs 大 (big; great) with 可, a sound part.

Open 奇 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmove
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì迹jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

迹 pairs 辶, a movement part, with 亦, a sound part; an older form used 朿.

Open 迹 →
Appears in
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