唧

jī
即 + 口

Definitions

jī (onom.) to pump (water)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 即 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 即

About

唧 is a phono-semantic compound: the mouth radical 口 on the left signals a sound or vocalization, and 即 on the right gives the pronunciation. It originated as an onomatopoeia for high-pitched, repetitive noises, like the chirping of crickets or the quiet murmur of hushed conversations. Later, with the spread of mechanical devices, it took on a verbal sense, squirting or spraying liquid from a nozzle or syringe. So the character serves both as a mimic of natural sounds and as a descriptor for mechanical liquid ejection.

Example Sentences Hide

小鸟唧唧地叫。

Xiǎo niǎo jījī de jiào.

The little bird chirps.

他唧咕了几句。

Tā jīgū le jǐ jù.

He muttered a few sentences.

水井里有个唧筒。

Shuǐjǐng lǐ yǒu gè jītǒng.

There is a pump in the well.

虫子在地上唧唧鸣叫。

Chóngzi zài dìshàng jījī míngjiào.

Insects are chirping on the ground.

她唧唧哝哝地说了很久。

Tā jījinóngnóng de shuō le hěn jiǔ.

She murmured for a long time.

那个唧筒坏了，需要修理。

Nàgè jītǒng huài le, xūyào xiūlǐ.

That pump is broken and needs repair.

听到唧唧声，他知道是蟋蟀在叫。

Tīng dào jījī shēng, tā zhīdào shì xīshuài zài jiào.

Hearing the chirping sound, he knew it was crickets calling.

工人们用唧筒把水从深坑里抽出来。

Gōngrénmen yòng jītǒng bǎ shuǐ cóng shēn kēng lǐ chōu chūlái.

The workers used a pump to draw water from the deep pit.

Related Characters

Component: 即

鲫 節 蝍 鯽 䳭 堲 莭

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Example Words

唧唧 吧唧 哼唧 哼哼唧唧 唧唧喳喳 磨唧