艺妓 (yì jì) — geisha (Japanese traditional female entertainer… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Japanese loanword for a geisha — a traditional female entertainer trained in music, dance, and conversation. Borrowed directly from Japanese; in Chinese contexts it usually refers to geisha in Japan, not to local traditions.

noun

geisha (Japanese traditional female entertainer skilled in music, dance, and conversation)

Measure word · 个

Examples

艺妓。
Zhè wèi yì jì de wǔ dǎo fēi cháng yōu yǎ.
This geisha's dance is very elegant.
艺妓。
Hěn duō yóu kè qù jīng dū kàn yì jì biǎo yǎn.
Many tourists go to Kyoto to see geisha performances.
艺妓。
yì jì De chuán tǒng fú zhuāng jiào zuò hé fú.
The traditional costume of geishas is called a kimono.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

妓jìentertainer

艺 means art and 妓 means entertainer, so 艺妓 is a skilled female entertainer.

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.

艹乙艺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

乙

乙yǐ艺yì

Same sound today

In 艺, the top 艹 points to plants, and the lower 乙 gives the sound.

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

女支妓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

支

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 妓 combines 女, a woman, with 支, a part used for the sound.

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