孜

zī
adjective #36,837

Meanings

  1. 1 diligent
  2. 2 tireless

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā zīzī-bújuàn 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: 子 (child) under 攴 (a hand striking) - a child being prodded to keep working. The character literally pictures someone being kept at it.

Components

radical
攵 pū
tap; strike (radical form)
Right rap radical (side-form of 攴) - pictograph of a hand holding a stick, signifying instruction or correction. Together with 子 it depicts teaching a child by tapping for attention - the disciplined, repeated effort behind 孜孜不倦 'tirelessly diligent.' Family: 教 teach, 改 reform, 攻 attack, 政 govern.
phonetic
子 zǐ
child
Left 子 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

孜 zī