p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Translate Flashcards Sign in

绮

綺
qǐ
adjective #39,128

Meanings

  1. 1 figured silk; patterned damask
  2. 2 beautiful; gorgeous; ornate

Examples

晚霞绮丽，铺满天空。
Wǎnxiá qǐlì, pū mǎn tiānkōng.
The sunset clouds spread across the sky like gorgeous brocade.
她穿着缃绮做的下裙。
Tā chuān zhe xiāng qǐ zuò de xiàqún.
She wore a lower skirt of light figured silk.

Tips

usage
绮 first meant fine figured silk, then came to mean 'beautiful, ornate'. Today it is literary: 绮丽 ('gorgeous'), 绮梦 ('a beautiful dream'), 绮丽 often describing scenery or prose.

Components

radical
纟 sī
silk; thread
纟 is the silk radical, the left-side form of 糸. The original meaning was patterned silk cloth, so the meaning sits under 'silk'.
phonetic
奇 qí
rare; remarkable
奇 gives the sound, with a tone shift from qí to qǐ, and a fitting flavor of meaning: 'remarkable, exquisite', matching the 'gorgeous' sense of 绮.

Stroke Order

绮 qǐ