姬 (jī) · concubine (archaic)

Meanings

1 concubine (archaic)
2 surname Ji (ancient Chinese royal surname)
3 beautiful woman

Characters

姬

jī

concubine; surname Ji; beautiful woman

Examples

HSK 7-9

姬姓是中国最古老的姓氏之一。

Jī xìng shì Zhōngguó zuì gǔlǎo de xìngshì zhīyī.

The Ji surname is one of the oldest surnames in China.

HSK 7-9

虞姬是项羽最宠爱的人。

Yú Jī shì Xiàng Yǔ zuì chǒng'ài de rén.

Yu Ji was Xiang Yu's most beloved consort.

HSK 7-9

古代的王侯都有很多姬妾。

Gǔdài de wánghóu dōu yǒu hěnduō jīqiè.

Ancient nobles all had many concubines.

Tips

history

姬 was the royal surname of the Zhou dynasty (周朝). Many common Chinese surnames (王, 张, 周, 吴) trace their origins back to the 姬 clan.

register

The 'beautiful woman' sense is literary, appearing in classical and poetic writing rather than everyday speech.

Components

radical

女 nǚ

woman; female

Left woman radical - pictograph of a kneeling figure with crossed legs and folded arms. Anchors the meaning of 姬: a noble lady, concubine, or beautiful woman. Same family: 妈 mother, 姐 elder sister, 妹 younger sister, 妃 imperial consort. Also marks 姬 as a clan-surname-of-women, the way most ancient surnames were originally tagged.

phonetic

臣 chén

minister; vassal

Right 臣 in a 7-stroke variant (standalone 6); the slight expansion fills the right slot evenly. Originally pictured a downcast eye signaling submission. Supplies the phonetic frame chén -> jī via initial shift. 姬 was the royal surname of the Zhou dynasty house - Confucius's idealised sage-kings - which is why it later denoted noble women generally.