根基 (gēn jī) — foundation (both literal and figurative) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A figurative 'foundation' — the deep, established base of an institution, skill, or relationship. 基础 is more general and includes skills/knowledge; 根本 leans toward the essential 'root' of an issue.

noun

foundation (both literal and figurative)

Examples

根基。
Gài fáng zi yào xiān dǎ hǎo gēn jī.
To build a house, you must first lay the foundation well.
根基。
Jiào yù shì yí gè guó jiā fā zhǎn de gēn jī.
Education is the foundation of a country's development.
根基，。
Zhè suǒ dà xué yǒu shēn hòu de gēn jī, jiào xué zhì liàng hěn gāo.
This university has a deep foundation and high teaching quality.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

基jīfoundation

根 means base and 基 means foundation; both parts point to a firm foundation.

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.

木艮根

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn根gēn(r)

Same sound today

根 pairs 木 (tree/wood), pointing to plant roots, with 艮 as a sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

其土基

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

其qí基jī

Same sound today

The lower 土 means earth, and the upper 其 gives the sound; together they form the idea of a foundation of earth.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Abstract Concepts

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