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蹊

xī / qī
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 footpath; narrow trail
  2. 2 approach; way of doing things (figurative)

Examples

他在研究上独辟蹊径。
Tā zài yánjiū shàng dúpìxījìng.
He blazed a trail of his own in his research.
一条小蹊径蜿蜒上山。
Yì tiáo xiǎo xījìng wānyán shàngshān.
A faint footpath wound up the mountain.

Tips

history
The set phrase 桃李不言，下自成蹊 says that peach and plum trees stay silent, yet a path forms beneath them; sincere virtue draws people without boasting. Here 蹊 is read xī, path.

Components

radical
足 zú
foot
The foot radical 足 on the left ties this character to walking and paths, which is clearest in its xī reading meaning footpath.
phonetic
奚 xī
phonetic element
The right side is read xī and supplies the sound; it also appears in 溪 (stream). The qī reading in 蹊跷 is a separate sound development.

Stroke Order

蹊 xī