赅 (gāi): complete

Meanings

言简意赅，称赞文字简短而完整。

Yánjiǎnyìgāi, chēngzàn wénzì jiǎnduǎn ér wánzhěng.

"Concise words, full meaning" praises writing that is brief yet complete.

他的报告言简意赅，大家都称赞。

Tā de bàogào yánjiǎnyìgāi, dàjiā dōu chēngzàn.

His report was concise and comprehensive, and everyone praised it.

usage

赅 means "complete" and is used almost only in 言简意赅, "the words are few but the meaning is complete". It is also a rare surname read the same way.

radical

贝 bèi

shell; money

贝 is the shell/money radical. Cowrie shells were early currency, and a full store of wealth links loosely to the "complete, well-stocked" sense of 赅.

phonetic

亥 hài

the 12th Earthly Branch

亥 supplies the sound (hài shifted to gāi) and adds no meaning. The same phonetic gives 该, 骇, and 孩 their reading.

赅 gāi