伎

jì

亻 + 支

Definitions

jì artistry; talent; skill; (in ancient times) female entertainer

Etymology

A man 亻 who can support 支 someone

About

The character 伎 is a phono-semantic compound that pairs the semantic radical 亻 (rén, person) with the phonetic component 支 (zhī, branch/support). Its original meaning referred to a skilled individual, especially performers, musicians, or entertainers. Over time, the sense shifted from the person to the skill or technique itself, and in certain compounds it acquired a negative nuance denoting tricks or gimmicks. The structure directly suggests a person (亻) who supports (支), capturing the idea of someone providing entertainment or specialized ability.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我识破了他的伎俩。

Wǒ shípòle tā de jìliǎng.

I saw through his trick.

歌舞伎是一种日本戏剧。

Gēwǔjì shì yī zhǒng Rìběn xìjù.

Kabuki is a type of Japanese drama.

他用卑鄙的伎俩赢了比赛。

Tā yòng bēibǐ de jìliǎng yíngle bǐsài.

He used despicable tricks to win the competition.

伎艺表演吸引了众多观众。

Jìyì biǎoyǎn xīyǐnle zhòngduō guānzhòng.

The skill performance attracted many audiences.

那些骗子的伎俩终于被揭露了。

Nàxiē piànzi de jìliǎng zhōngyú bèi jiēlù le.

Those fraudsters' tricks were finally exposed.

学习歌舞伎需要多年的训练。

Xuéxí gēwǔjì xūyào duō nián de xùnliàn.

Learning kabuki requires many years of training.

尽管他使尽各种伎俩，还是失败了。

Jǐnguǎn tā shǐ jìn gè zhǒng jìliǎng, háishì shībài le.

Although he used all kinds of tricks, he still failed.

在商业竞争中，不正当的伎俩往往会导致法律后果。

Zài shāngyè jìngzhēng zhōng, bù zhèngdàng de jìliǎng wǎngwǎng huì dǎozhì fǎlǜ hòuguǒ.

In business competition, improper tricks often lead to legal consequences.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 支

伎