惕

tì

忄 + 易

Definitions

tì (adjective) watchful; cautious; alert

tì (verb) to be fearful; apprehensive

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 易 represents the sound.

Semantic: 忄 Phonetic: 易

About

惕 is a phono-semantic compound pertaining to human emotions and psychology. Its left-side semantic radical is 忄, the compressed form of 心 'heart', which marks mental activities or feelings. The right-side element 易, meaning 'easy' or 'to change,' functions here as the phonetic component suggesting the pronunciation. The fusion of these parts yields a meaning centered on heightened mental alertness: caution, vigilance, and a healthy apprehension of danger. In usage, 惕 frequently occurs in compound words that call for watchfulness, warn against carelessness, and foster a sharp, defensive mindset to face unforeseen negative events.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们必须保持警惕。

Wǒmen bìxū bǎochí jǐngtì.

We must remain vigilant.

他警惕地看着四周。

Tā jǐngtì de kànzhe sìzhōu.

He looked around vigilantly.

在夜间行走时要特别警惕。

Zài yèjiān xíngzǒu shí yào tèbié jǐngtì.

Be especially vigilant when walking at night.

警惕能帮助我们避免危险。

Jǐngtì néng bāngzhù wǒmen bìmiǎn wēixiǎn.

Vigilance can help us avoid danger.

尽管环境安全，我们仍不能放松警惕。

Jǐnguǎn huánjìng ānquán, wǒmen réng bùnéng fàngsōng jǐngtì.

Even though the environment is safe, we still cannot relax our vigilance.

网络安全要求我们时刻保持警惕。

Wǎngluò ānquán yāoqiú wǒmen shíkè bǎochí jǐngtì.

Network security requires us to be vigilant at all times.

她的警惕性很高，从不轻易相信别人。

Tā de jǐngtìxìng hěn gāo, cóng bù qīngyì xiāngxìn biérén.

Her vigilance is very high; she never trusts others easily.

在复杂的社会环境中，保持必要的警惕是自我保护的重要手段。

Zài fùzá de shèhuì huánjìng zhōng, bǎochí bìyào de jǐngtì shì zìwǒ bǎohù de zhòngyào shǒuduàn.

In a complex social environment, maintaining necessary vigilance is an important means of self-protection.

Related Characters

Component: 忄

Component: 易

惕