Definitions
(noun)
relative; family member
(noun)
grief; sorrow
(noun)
battle-axe
Etymology
Pictograph of a battle axe having spiked teeth on its blade.
About
The character "戚" originally referred to a type of axe or weapon, as seen in early Chinese texts. Its structure is composed of the components "戊" and "尗", with "戊" historically connected to instruments of war and "尗" potentially contributing to its sound. Over centuries, the meaning of "戚" extended from this martial sense to denote sorrow or distress, likely through metaphorical association or phonetic borrowing. Additionally, it acquired the sense of "relatives" in compounds such as "亲戚", representing a further semantic shift from its initial concrete reference.
Example Sentences Hide
我的亲戚来自北京。
我们欢迎亲戚来访。
她有很多亲戚朋友。
亲戚们聚在一起吃饭。
他对亲戚非常友好。
亲戚之间的关系很重要。
他因失去亲人而哀戚。
他的脸上露出戚容。