气慨 (qì kǎi) — lofty spirit; moral fervor; heroic spirit

Definition

A literary noun for a person's lofty, heroic spirit — moral courage and resolve in the face of challenge. High-register, used in writing about heroes and noble deeds, not casual speech.

noun
lofty spiritmoral fervorheroic spirit
Easily confused

Examples

  • 气慨。
    Tā de qì kǎi lìng rén jìng pèi.
    His lofty spirit commands admiration.
  • 气慨。
    Yīng xióng de qì kǎi jī lì le wú shù rén.
    The hero's moral fervor inspired countless people.
  • ，气慨。
    Zài guān jiàn shí kè, tā biǎo xiàn chū le fēi fán de qì kǎi.
    At the critical moment, he displayed extraordinary heroic spirit.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
既
既jì慨kǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 心 is a heart, showing the character concerns feelings; the right side 既 is used for its sound.

Open 慨 →

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