葺 (qì): to repair (a building)

Meanings

他花了半个月修葺这座老房子。

Tā huā le bàn gè yuè xiūqì zhè zuò lǎo fángzi.

He spent half a month repairing the old house.

寺庙刚修葺过，看起来焕然一新。

Sìmiào gāng xiūqì guò, kàn qǐlái huànrányīxīn.

The temple has just been repaired and looks brand new.

usage

葺 almost always appears in 修葺 (to repair / renovate a building). Its original sense was thatching a roof with straw, hence the grass radical.

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; straw

The grass radical, top form of 草, recalls the original meaning of 葺: covering a roof with straw thatch.

phonetic

咠 qì

to whisper

Supplies the sound, near the modern reading qì. It combines 口 and 耳 and chiefly serves the sound here.

葺 qì