气 (qì) — (noun) air; gas; (noun) smell; odor; (verb) to be angry; to make angry; to annoy
Definition
气 (qì) covers three main meanings: air/gas (天气 weather, 气体 gaseous substance), smell (气味 odor), and getting/being angry (生气 to get angry). It rarely stands alone for anger — pair it with verbs like 气得… or nouns like 怒气.
noun
airgassmellodor
verb
to be angryto make angryto annoy
Measure word · 股
Examples
- 气Chē tāi méi qì leThe tire has no air.
- Zhè ge fáng jiān yǒu gǔ nán wén de qì wèiThis room has a bad smell.
- 气。Tā qì dé liǎn dōu hóng le.She was so angry her face turned red.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.