吃

Stroke order

吃 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 口人弓 (RON), four-corner 6801₇, composition ⿰口乞)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 174, character 17
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3280
• Dae Jaweon: page 387, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 579, character 5
• Unihan data for U+5403

Phono-semantic compound 形聲 / 形声 (xíngshēng): semantic 口 (kǒu) + phonetic 乞 (OC *kʰɯds, *kʰɯd).

Its original meaning is "to stutter", hence, the phonetic component could add part of the meaning since it has the phonetically borrowed meaning of "begging" (i.e., trying to talk but with difficulties).

According to folk etymologies, 乞 in this character indicates that, while stuttering, less air comes from the mouth (compare 气, which has more traits). However, 乞 is simply a variant of 气, it originally meant "air" and was later borrowed to indicate "begging", therefore it didn't mean "less air; to stutter" or similar words and expressions.

Wikipedia has an article on:

• 吃

吃

1. to eat; to consume

   他很喜歡吃飯。／他很喜欢吃饭。  ―  Tā hěn xǐhuān chīfàn.  ―  He loves to eat.

   你吃飯了嗎？／你吃饭了吗？  ―  Nǐ chīfàn le ma?  ―  Have you eaten? (also a greeting)

   你吃過飯嗎？／你吃过饭吗？  ―  Nǐ chī guò fàn ma?  ―  Have you eaten? (also a greeting)

   儂飯吃過了𠲎？ [Shanghainese, trad.]
   侬饭吃过了𠲎？ [Shanghainese, simp.]

   ⁶non ⁶ve ⁷chiq-ku-leq-vaq [Wugniu]

   Have you eaten? (also a greeting)

   • 排排坐，吃果果。 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

     From: 《排排坐》, traditional children's song

     paai⁴ paai⁴ co⁵, hek³ gwo² gwo².

     Let's sit together and eat fruits.

   喫屎啦你！／吃屎啦你！ [Cantonese]  ―  jaak³ si² laa¹ nei⁵!   ―  Eat shit!

   • 1978, “應該要自愛”, in 許冠傑, 黎彼得 (lyrics), 賣身契 (màishēnqì), performed by 許冠傑:

     誰願意將來餐餐喫白菜 [Cantonese, trad.]
     谁愿意将来餐餐吃白菜 [Cantonese, simp.]

     seoi⁴ jyun⁶ ji³ zoeng¹ loi⁴ caan¹ caan¹ jaak³ baak⁶ coi³

     Who wishes to eat cabbage every meal for the rest of their life?

2. to live on
3. to suffer; to endure; to bear

   吃苦  ―  chīkǔ  ―  to endure hardship

   吃虧／吃亏  ―  chīkuī  ―  to suffer losses, to be at a disadvantage

   他胸口吃了一槍。 [MSC, trad.]
   他胸口吃了一枪。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā xiōngkǒu chī le yī qiāng.

   He took a bullet in the chest.

4. to exhaust; to be a strain

   Chrome吃內存。／Chrome吃内存。  ―  Chrome chī nèicún.  ―  Chrome is a memory hog.

5. to drink
6. (board games) to capture
7. (mahjong) to chow
8. to accept
   • 2023, “我的世界地圖”, 黃偉文 [Wyman Wong] (lyrics), 王菀之 [Ivana Wong] (music)‎performed by 魏浚笙 [Jeffrey Ngai]:

     年輕一輩　如果只吃前人預設那一套　再沒前路 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     年轻一辈　如果只吃前人预设那一套　再没前路 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     nin⁴ hing¹ jat¹ bui³, jyu⁴ gwo² zi² hek³ cin⁴ jan⁴ jyu⁶ cit³ naa⁵ jat¹ tou³, zoi³ mut⁶ cin⁴ lou⁶

     If the younger generation simply accepts the default methods of those who came before, there will be no more future ahead

9. (early modern Wu) because

• In Cantonese, 食 (sik⁶) is the most common term for "eating" and 吔 (jaak³) is considered less polite than the former.
• When playing mahjong, a player may say this word as a call when forming a chow on another player's discard.

• (to eat): 食用 (shíyòng)

• (to drink):

• (to capture):

• (to chow):

• Wutunhua: qe
• → Japanese: 吃(チー) (chī)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

吃

1. to stammer; to stutter; to falter

   口吃  ―  kǒuchī  ―  to stammer, to stutter

吃

1. Only used in 吃吃 (qīqī).

吃

1. (Hokkien) Alternative form of 食

   • 看你在過生活　攏是坐著賺躺著吃 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad.]
     看你在过生活　拢是坐着赚躺着吃 [Taiwanese Hokkien, simp.]

     From: 2003, 蔡秋鳳 (Kerris Tsai) (lyricist 李岩修), 爽到你艱苦到我

     khòaⁿ lí leh kòe seng-oa̍h, lóng sī chē-leh thàn tó-teh chia̍h [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     When I look at you living your life, you're always earning your living while sitting and eating while lying down.

(Hyōgai kanji)

• Go-on: こち (kochi)
• Kan-on: きつ (kitsu)
• Kun: どもり (domori, 吃り)、どもる (domoru, 吃る)