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

Meanings

1 moustache; hair on the upper lip

Characters

髭

zī

moustache

Examples

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.

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.

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).