恣 (zì): to act without restraint

Meanings

他恣意妄为，毫不顾及规矩。

Tā zìyì wàngwéi, háobù gùjí guīju.

He let himself act recklessly, paying no heed to the rules.

画家在纸上恣意挥洒。

Huàjiā zài zhǐ shàng zìyì huīsǎ.

The artist let his brush run wild across the paper.

usage

恣 is written-style and usually appears in 恣意 (wantonly, willfully), often with a negative tone of unchecked behavior.

radical

心 xīn

heart; mind

The heart radical 心 sits below, marking 恣 as a state of mind: letting one's impulses run free.

phonetic

次 cì

order; next

Sits on top and carries the sound, drifted from cì to the modern reading zì. The same phonetic drives 资 and 姿.

恣 zì