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疾 (jí) — disease, illness, suffering; fast, rapid; hatred, to detest (in literary compounds)

Definition

A literary bound form covering 'illness, haste, and hatred.' In modern Chinese it appears almost only in set compounds (疾病, 疾走, 疾恶如仇) — not used as a standalone word.

bound form
diseaseillnesssufferingfastrapidhatredto detest (in literary compounds)

Examples

  • 疾。
    Tā huàn le zhòng jí.
    He contracted a serious disease.
  • 疾。
    Tā jí bù zǒu xiàng qián.
    He walked forward with quick steps.
  • 疾。
    Tā duì è xíng jí è rú chóu.
    He detests evil deeds as if they were his enemies.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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

疾 combines 疒, showing illness, with a form showing an arrow flying toward a person, giving the sense of fast.

Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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