汽

qì

气 + 氵

Definitions

qì (noun) steam; vapor

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 气 represents the sound.

About

汽 is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical 氵 on the left conveys the meaning, while the component 气 on the right gives the sound. The character originally denoted steam or water vapor, the visible mist that appears when water is heated to boiling. In the modern era, it became closely associated with steam engines and combustion, entering the vocabulary for key inventions. It now appears in words like 汽车 (automobile) and 汽水 (carbonated beverage). Created specifically for steam and vaporous liquids, 汽 has no distinct traditional orthographic variant and remains unchanged across simplified and traditional Chinese scripts.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

汽车停在路边。

Qìchē tíng zài lùbiān.

The car is parked by the roadside.

水烧开时冒出蒸汽。

Shuǐ shāokāi shí mào chū zhēngqì.

Steam comes out when water boils.

汽油是一种重要能源。

Qìyóu shì yī zhǒng zhòngyào néngyuán.

Gasoline is an important energy source.

这家工厂生产汽车零件。

Zhè jiā gōngchǎng shēngchǎn qìchē língjiàn.

This factory produces auto parts.

蒸汽机车已被淘汰。

Zhēngqì jīchē yǐ bèi táotài.

Steam locomotives have been phased out.

新能源汽车越来越普及。

Xīnnéngyuán qìchē yuè lái yuè pǔjí.

New energy vehicles are becoming more and more popular.

汽车尾气会污染空气。

Qìchē wěiqì huì wūrǎn kōngqì.

Vehicle exhaust can pollute the air.

汽化过程需要吸收热量。

Qìhuà guòchéng xūyào xīshōu rèliàng.

The vaporization process requires the absorption of heat.

Related Characters

Component: 气

Component: 氵

汽