About
奎 (kuí) is formed by 大 (dà), a pictograph of a person with arms and legs extended, placed above 圭 (guī), a jade tablet. This is a phonosemantic compound: 大 provides the meaning and 圭 gives the sound. The original meaning, directly reflecting the image of a person, was the crotch area or the act of striding with legs spread apart. That literal anatomical sense faded from common use long ago, and is now obsolete. Instead, 奎 is now best known as the name of the 'Legs' mansion, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions in traditional Chinese astronomy. Today, the character's primary domain is this astronomical term, though it can still be found in occasional personal names.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
奎先生住在北京。
李奎是我的同学。
奎宁是一种药物。
我们学习了奎星的故事。
奎因医生治好了我的病。
这本书介绍了奎宁的用途。
在化学课上我们讨论了奎宁的结构。
由于奎宁的副作用医生建议谨慎使用。
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