髭 (zī) · moustache; hair on the upper lip

Meanings

1 moustache; hair on the upper lip

Characters

髭

zī

moustache

Examples

HSK 7-9

鲁迅的画像中是一位蓄着髭须、目光犀利的先生。

Lǔ Xùn de huàxiàng zhōng shì yī wèi xù zhe zīxū, mùguāng xīlì de xiānsheng.

Lu Xun's portrait shows a man with a moustache and a stern gaze.

HSK 7-9

老兵放下担子，捋了捋髭须。

Lǎobīng fàngxià dànzi, lǚ le lǚ zīxū.

The old soldier put down his bundle and stroked his moustache.

HSK 7-9

在脸谱上，钩形的髭象征奸臣。

Zài liǎnpǔ shàng, gōu xíng de zī xiàngzhēng jiānchén.

On a stage face, a hooked moustache marks a treacherous official.

Tips

usage

Classical Chinese distinguished facial hair by location. 髭 is specifically the upper-lip moustache. The full taxonomy: 髭 (moustache), 须 (chin beard), 髯 (cheek whiskers / sideburns), 髦 (long hair forelock). In modern writing the precise sense has blurred - the common compound 髭须 just means 'beard / moustache' generally. The character is high-register; everyday Mandarin uses 胡子.

register

Mostly found in literary prose, period dramas, and descriptions of historical figures (e.g. Su Shi, Lu Xun, Republican-era scholars). Useful vocabulary for reading novels and watching costume drama.

Components

radical

髟 biāo

long flowing hair (radical)

Top long-hair radical (Kangxi #190). A pictograph of hair streaming down, used for almost any body-hair concept. Other family members: 髯 (cheek whiskers), 髻 (hair bun), 髦 (forelock), 鬓 (temple hair). Recognising 髟 marks 'this character is about hair'.

phonetic

此 cǐ

this; supplying the sound

Bottom phonetic 此 - supplies the sound (cǐ → zī, a regular shift). The same phonetic anchors 紫 (purple), 雌 (female), 疵 (defect).