Definition
祗 (zhī) is a bound form (b.f.) meaning 'respect' or 'reverence', found only in classical or formal literary compounds such as 祗敬 (zhījìng, 'to revere') or 祗候 (zhīhòu, 'to respectfully await'). It is not used in modern spoken Chinese — you will only encounter it in historical texts, formal written registers, or set phrases. Do not confuse it with the similar-looking 祇 (qí, 'earth deity') or 祗 (zhǐ, 'only').
b.f.
(bound form) respectreverence (in classical/literary compounds)
Examples
- 祗。Tā huái zhe zhī jìng zhī xīn jiēshòu le zhège rènwu.He accepted this task with a reverent heart.
- 祗。Tā duì zǔxiān huái yǒu zhī jìng zhī qíng.He harbors reverent feelings toward his ancestors.
- 祗。Zhè piān wénzhāng de zhǔtí shì zhī jìng.The theme of this essay is reverence.
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