姬 (jī) — (in historical compounds) imperial concubine; (in literary compounds) woman, female (often in artistic or historical roles); surname Ji
Definition
A classical bound form for 'woman' or 'imperial concubine', seen in literary or historical compounds like 歌姬 or 虞姬, and also used as a surname.
bound form
(in historical compounds) imperial concubine(in literary compounds) womanfemale (often in artistic or historical roles)surname Ji
Easily confused
- 鸡jīsound-alikechicken
- 机jīsound-alike(bound form) machine; mechanical
- 奇jīsound-alike(classifier) odd number (used after a number to count odd numbers)
- 基jīsound-alike(bound form) base; foundation; fundamental
- 击jīsound-alike(bound form) to strike, to hit, to attack
- 激jīsound-aliketo surge, to dash (of water, emotions)
Examples
- 姬。Tā zài jù zhōng bàn yǎn yú jī.She played the role of Yu Ji in the play.
- 姬。Tā shì yí wèi zhù míng de gē jī.She is a famous female singer-entertainer.
- 姬。jī Xìng shì zhōng guó gǔ lǎo de xìng shì zhī yī.The surname Ji is one of the oldest surnames in China.
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
𦣞
𦣞𦣞姬jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
姬 combines 女 (woman; family line) with 𦣞, which gives the sound.
Appears in
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