尼

ní

匕 + 尸

Definitions

ní (noun) Buddhist nun

ní (particle) phonetic component in loanwords

Etymology

Depicts one person (匕) carrying another person (尸) on their back. Based on the original meaning "stop; approach". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

尼 is formed by the radical 尸 (often a corpse or a sitting person) placed over 匕 (a spoon or dagger in later forms, but originally a person), creating a scene of one person carrying another on their back. The original meanings were "to stop" and "to approach". Over time, the character was phonetically loaned to represent the Sanskrit term "bhikkhuni", leading to its modern meaning of a Buddhist nun. Consequently, the original senses of stopping and approaching are rarely used today, and 尼 now mainly denotes female monastics or appears in transliterated foreign names and places.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

那位尼姑很善良。

Nà wèi ní gū hěn shàn liáng.

That nun is very kind.

这件衣服是尼龙的。

Zhè jiàn yī fú shì ní lóng de.

This clothing is made of nylon.

尼泊尔是一个美丽的国家。

Ní bó ěr shì yī gè měi lì de guó jiā.

Nepal is a beautiful country.

香烟中含有尼古丁。

Xiāng yān zhōng hán yǒu ní gǔ dīng.

Cigarettes contain nicotine.

尼罗河是世界上最长的河流。

Ní luó hé shì shì jiè shàng zuì cháng de hé liú.

The Nile River is the longest river in the world.

威尼斯是意大利的水城。

Wēi ní sī shì yì dà lì de shuǐ chéng.

Venice is the water city of Italy.

印尼的巴厘岛很有名。

Yìn ní de bā lí dǎo hěn yǒu míng.

Bali in Indonesia is very famous.

尼采的哲学思想影响深远。

Ní cǎi de zhé xué sī xiǎng yǐng xiǎng shēn yuǎn.

Nietzsche's philosophical ideas have far-reaching influence.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 匕

Component: 尸

尼