adjective #36,837

Meanings

  1. 1 diligent
  2. 2 tireless

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā zīzī-bùjuàn de xuéxí.
He studies diligently and tirelessly.
HSK 7-9
Zīrán shì Xīnjiāng shāokǎo de línghún.
Cumin is the soul of Xinjiang barbecue.

Tips

usage
Almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You'll meet it in two contexts: the reduplicated 孜孜 (diligently, as in 孜孜不倦) and the loanword 孜然 (cumin).
memory
Mnemonic: (child) under (a hand striking) - a child being prodded to keep working. The character literally pictures someone being kept at it.

Components

radical
tap; strike (radical form)
Right rap radical (side-form of ) - pictograph of a hand holding a stick, signifying instruction or correction. Together with it depicts teaching a child by tapping for attention - the disciplined, repeated effort behind 孜孜不倦 'tirelessly diligent.' Family: teach, reform, attack, govern.
phonetic
child
Left supplies the sound: zǐ to zī with tone shift. Pictograph of a child with arms outstretched and a swaddled body. Faint semantic resonance with the schoolroom imagery - a child being instructed - fits the 'diligent study' sense that 孜孜 conveys.

Stroke Order