嵇 (jī): surname Ji

Meanings

1 surname Ji
2 name of a mountain (Mount Ji)

Characters

嵇

jī

surname Ji; Mount Ji

Examples

嵇康是竹林七贤之一。

Jī Kāng shì Zhúlín Qīxián zhīyī.

Ji Kang was one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.

Tips

history

Not used as a common word — it functions only as a surname (and an old mountain name). The left side is 禾 over a base, with 山 (mountain) as the radical pointing back to the place-name origin.

Components

radical

山 shān

mountain

The mountain radical 山 at the foot files the character under mountains, recording its origin as a place name before it became a family name.

phonetic

禾 hé

grain plant

The 禾 on the upper left, together with the element below it, forms the 稽-type phonetic that carries the jī sound; it adds no grain meaning here.

phonetic

尤 yóu

phonetic body (with 禾, jī series)

Sits under 禾 as the lower half of the 稽-style phonetic block. The two together spell jī; this element does not contribute its own 尤 sound or meaning.

In Pop Culture

嵇康 Jī Kāng

Ji Kang (223-262)

Wei-dynasty philosopher, poet and qin master, leader of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove; executed for defying the Sima clan. The single most famous bearer of the surname 嵇.