记不清 (jì bù qīng) — can't remember clearly

Definition

A 离合词: 记 and 清 split around an object or 了/得, e.g. 记不清了, 记不清他的名字. Meaning: cannot remember clearly, with 清 emphasizing that the memory is vague or blurred.

verb

can't remember clearly

Examples

记不清。
Wǒ jì bù qīng nà jiàn shì fā shēng de jù tǐ shí jiān le.
I can't remember the specific time that incident happened.
记不清。
Tā jì bù qīng zuó tiān wǎn shàng de mèng le.
He can't remember his dream from last night clearly.
，记不清。
Suī rán hěn jiǔ méi jiàn, dàn wǒ bìng jì bù qīng tā de yàng zi.
Though we haven't seen each other for a long time, I actually can't remember her appearance clearly.

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 記; 记 is its simplified writing.

言己記

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánspeech; words

Sound part声符shēngfú

己

己jǐ記jì

Same sound today

The traditional form 記 pairs 言 (speech; words) with 己 as a sound part; the simplified 记 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 记 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

氵青清

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng清qīng

Same sound today