戒指

jièzhi
noun HSK 7 #1,697

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 ring (jewelry)

Characters

Literally 'warning finger' — in ancient China, a ring on a concubine's finger signaled the emperor to abstain.

Examples

Tā sòng le tā yì méi zuànshí jièzhi.
He gave her a diamond ring.
Tā de jièzhi hěn piàoliang.
Her ring is very beautiful.

Tips

history
The origin of 戒指 is debated, but one popular theory traces it to the imperial court: palace women wore rings to signal (abstain) to the emperor. Over time the 'warning ring' became any finger ring.

Stroke Order

jiè
zhǐ