氣

Translingual

Han character

氣 (Kangxi radical 84, 气+6, 10 strokes, cangjie input 人弓火木 (ONFD), four-corner 8091₇, composition ⿹气米)

Derived characters

• 㑶, 𠺪, 𡦎, 愾, 𭡾, 滊, 暣, 熂, 犔, 𦞝, 𥎃, 𧜃, 𧎵, 𧤟, 𧪢, 𧱲, 𧹵, 𮠼, 𣱬, 鎎, 𬂕, 靝, 餼, 𩥀, 𪸃, 𪒉, 霼, 𪖴, 𫨥, 𤅴
• 𣯘, 𩘞, 𭯴, 𭯵, 𣱯, 𫉀, 𥧔, 𧏨, 𧜚, 𡈏, 𮕇, 𣀽

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 599, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 17059
• Dae Jaweon: page 990, character 26
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2011, character 14
• Unihan data for U+6C23

Chinese

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 氣 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 氣 (Cantonese)
• 氣 (Classical)
• Qi (English)

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 氣
Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kʰɯds, *qʰɯds) : phonetic 气 (OC *kʰɯds) + semantic 米 (“rice”) – to give rice as a gift.

Later borrowed meanings of “air, flow” from 气 (OC *kʰɯds). The derivative 餼 (OC *qʰɯds) refers to the original word. Compare 乞 (OC *kʰɯds, *kʰɯd).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

氣

1. gas (matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma)

   天然氣／天然气  ―  tiānránqì  ―  natural gas

   輪胎漏氣了。／轮胎漏气了。  ―  Lúntāi lòu qì le.  ―  The tire is leaking gas.

2. (meteorology) air

   出去透透氣！／出去透透气！  ―  Chūqù tòu tòuqì!  ―  Go out to breathe fresh air!

3. breath (Classifier: 口 m; 股 m; 啖 c)

   喘不過氣來／喘不过气来  ―  chuǎnbùguòqì lái  ―  to be out of breath

   我會戰鬥到最后一口氣。 [MSC, trad.]
   我会战斗到最后一口气。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ huì zhàndòu dào zuìhòu yī kǒu qì.

   I will fight to my last breath.

4. (Chinese philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine) qi; vital energy; life force

   元氣／元气  ―  yuánqì  ―  vital energy

   氣虛／气虚  ―  qì xū  ―  to be deficient in vital energy

5. weather

   天氣／天气  ―  tiānqì  ―  weather

   氣候／气候  ―  qìhòu  ―  climate

6. smell; odour

   氣味／气味  ―  qìwèi  ―  smell

   滿身酒氣／满身酒气  ―  mǎnshēn jiǔ qì  ―  to have the odor of alcohol all over one's body

7. anger (Classifier: 條／条 c; 啖 c; 度 c)

   生氣／生气  ―  shēngqì  ―  to get angry

   消消氣／消消气  ―  xiāo xiāoqì  ―  to calm down

8. to be angry

   我很氣。／我很气。  ―  Wǒ hěn qì.  ―  I'm very angry.

   氣哭了／气哭了  ―  qì kū le  ―  to cry because one was so mad

9. to make angry; to annoy; to anger; to enrage

   別氣我！／别气我！  ―  Bié qì wǒ!  ―  Don't annoy me!

10. quality; character; spirit; mettle

    有男人氣／有男人气  ―  yǒu nánrén qì  ―  to be manly

    書生氣／书生气  ―  shūshēng qì  ―  bookishness

11. vitality; vigor; morale; spirit

    氣概／气概  ―  qìgài  ―  mettle; lofty quality

    一鼓作氣／一鼓作气  ―  yīgǔzuòqì  ―  to accomplish in one vigorous effort

12. bad habit; bad practice
13. a surname: Qi

Synonyms

• (gas): 氣體／气体 (qìtǐ)
• (breath): 氣息／气息 (qìxī)
• (weather):

• (smell):

• (to be angry):

• (vitality):

• (bad habit): 習氣／习气 (xíqì)

Descendants

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

氣

1. ^† Original form of 餼／饩 (xì, “to give food as a gift”).

Compounds