姬 (jī): concubine (archaic)

Meanings

1 concubine (archaic)
2 surname Ji (ancient Chinese royal surname)
3 beautiful woman (literary)

Characters

姬

jī

concubine; surname Ji; beautiful woman

Examples

姬姓是中国最古老的姓氏之一。

Jī xìng shì Zhōngguó zuì gǔlǎo de xìngshì zhīyī.

The Ji surname is one of the oldest surnames in China.

虞姬是项羽最宠爱的人。

Yú jī shì Xiàng yǔ zuì chǒng'ài de rén.

Yu Ji was Xiang Yu's most beloved consort.

古代的王侯都有很多姬妾。

Gǔdài de wáng hóu dōu yǒu hěnduō jī qiè.

Ancient nobles all had many concubines.

Tips

history

姬 was the royal surname of the Zhou dynasty (周朝). Many common Chinese surnames (王, 张, 周, 吴) trace their origins back to the 姬 clan.

Components

radical

女 nǚ

woman; female

Left woman radical — pictograph of a kneeling figure with crossed legs and folded arms. Anchors the meaning of 姬: a noble lady, concubine, or beautiful woman. Same family: 妈 mother, 姐 elder sister, 妹 younger sister, 妃 imperial consort. Also marks 姬 as a clan-surname-of-women, the way most ancient surnames were originally tagged.

phonetic

臣 chén

minister; vassal

Right 臣 in a 7-stroke variant (standalone 6); the slight expansion fills the right slot evenly. Originally pictured a downcast eye signaling submission. Supplies the phonetic frame chén → jī via initial shift. 姬 was the royal surname of the Zhou dynasty house — Confucius's idealised sage-kings — which is why it later denoted noble women generally.