Meanings of 悽
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About 悽
Podcast: 悽
Podcast: 悽
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AI Study Notes for 悽
悲 (bēi) - use 悽 (qī) when emphasizing a profound, lingering sorrow rather than a general sadness.
Learners often confuse 悽 with other similar-sounding words, such as 悲 (bēi) which means 'sad'. Note that 悽 has a stronger connotation of profound sorrow. It is more commonly used in formal contexts, particularly in literature.
Although 悽 is not included in the HSK levels, understanding it can enhance your vocabulary related to emotions. Students at this level should focus on recognizing how 悽 relates to other words expressing feelings, like 悲伤 (bēi shāng, sadness) and 哀伤 (āi shāng, lament).
Learners often use 悽 interchangeably with 悲 (bēi), leading to misunderstandings about the depth of emotion conveyed. For instance, saying '我很悲' (Wǒ hěn bēi) is fine for sadness, but using '我很悽' (Wǒ hěn qī) may sound overly dramatic in casual conversation.
Pronunciation of 悽
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Etymology of 悽
Phonosemantic compound. 冫 represents the meaning and 妻 represents the sound. Simplified form of 淒.
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Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 悽
Phonosemantic compound. 冫 represents the meaning and 妻 represents the sound. Simplified form of 淒.
- 1The meaning half忄 carries the sense.
- 2The sound half妻 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
- 3The giveawayheart
- 4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 悽? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
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Decomposition of 悽
Identify the Components
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How to say sorrowful, grieving; melancholy in Chinese
“sorrowful, grieving; melancholy” in Chinese is悽
The character 悽 (qī) denotes a deep sense of sorrow or grief, often used to describe a melancholic state of mind. It can be applied in both literary contexts, such as poetry, and in conversation when discussing feelings of sadness or loss.
When to use 悽
Learners often confuse 悽 with other similar-sounding words, such as 悲 (bēi) which means 'sad'. Note that 悽 has a stronger connotation of profound sorrow. It is more commonly used in formal contexts, particularly in literature.
悽 or something close to it
悲 (bēi) - use 悽 (qī) when emphasizing a profound, lingering sorrow rather than a general sadness.
What learners get wrong
Learners often use 悽 interchangeably with 悲 (bēi), leading to misunderstandings about the depth of emotion conveyed. For instance, saying '我很悲' (Wǒ hěn bēi) is fine for sadness, but using '我很悽' (Wǒ hěn qī) may sound overly dramatic in casual conversation.
Write 悽
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Practice writing 悽 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Word Family of 悽
Compound Meaning
What does 凄凉 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 悽
You could say: '他因为失去了朋友而感到悽惨', meaning 'He felt sorrowful because he lost a friend.'
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