Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of a battle axe having spiked teeth on its blade.
About
The character 戚 originated as a pictograph of a notched battle-axe. Its structure combines 戊 (wù), a weapon radical, with 尗 (shū), which provides the phonetic element. While it initially denoted this ceremonial weapon, the character was borrowed to represent relatives connected by marriage. It also came to signify sorrow or distress. Thus, the modern meanings of 戚, kin by marriage and grief, derive from phonetic borrowing, though its form still echoes the original pictograph of a weapon.
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。