契 (qì) — (noun) contract; deed; (verb) to agree; to be in accord
Definition
A bound form meaning 'contract/deed' (as in 契约 or 地契), not a stand-alone everyday word. In 默契 it shifts to the verb sense 'tacitly in accord, unspoken understanding'.
noun
contractdeed
verb
to agreeto be in accord
Examples
- 。Tā men qiān le yí fèn qì yuē.They signed a contract.
- 。Tā men zhī jiān yǒu yì zhǒng mò qì.There is a tacit understanding between them.
- 。Zhè zhāng dì qì shì zǔ shàng chuán xià lái de.This land deed was passed down from our ancestors.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
㓞
㓞㓞契qì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
契 pairs 大 (person) with 㓞, which means 'to engrave,' showing a person making an agreement or carving something with a knife.
Appears in
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