稚

稺/穉

zhì

禾 + 隹

Definitions

zhì (adjective) young; childish; infantile

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 隹 represents the sound. Simplified form of 稺.

Semantic: 禾 Phonetic: 隹

About

稚 is a phonosemantic compound and the simplified form of 稺. Its semantic component, the grain radical 禾 on the left, points to an agricultural meaning, while the right-side component 隹 (a short-tailed bird) supplies the sound. The character originally referred to young, late-planted, or newly sprouted grain crops that had not yet reached maturity. Over time, this literal agricultural sense broadened to describe young, tender people and animals, and by extension, naive or childish behavior and thoughts. The character thus shifted from a term for immature crops to a general descriptor of youth and inexperience.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个小孩的问题很幼稚。

Zhè ge xiǎo hái de wèn tí hěn yòu zhì.

This child's question is very childish.

妹妹的脸上带着稚气的笑容。

Mèi mei de liǎn shang dài zhe zhì qì de xiào róng.

My younger sister's face bears a childish smile.

他的想法有时显得太稚嫩。

Tā de xiǎng fǎ yǒu shí xiǎn dé tài zhì nèn.

His ideas sometimes appear too immature.

不要嘲笑他人幼稚的想法。

Bù yào cháo xiào tā rén yòu zhì de xiǎng fǎ.

Don't mock others for their naive thoughts.

她以一种稚拙的笔触描绘风景。

Tā yǐ yī zhǒng zhì zhuō de bǐ chù miáo huì fēng jǐng.

She depicts the scenery with a kind of naive and unpolished brushstroke.

那份稚朴的真诚感动了所有人。

Nà fèn zhì pǔ de zhēn chéng gǎn dòng le suǒ yǒu rén.

That simple and childish sincerity moved everyone.

成熟与稚拙在他的画风中奇妙融合。

Chéng shú yǔ zhì zhuō zài tā de huà fēng zhōng qí miào róng hé.

Maturity and naivety merge wonderfully in his painting style.

他早已褪去了青春的稚气，变得沉稳。

Tā zǎo yǐ tuì qù le qīng chūn de zhì qì, biàn de chén wěn.

He has long shed the childishness of youth and become steady.

Related Characters

Component: 禾

Component: 隹

稚