翅

翄

chì

支 + 羽

Definitions

chì (noun) wing

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 羽 represents the meaning and 支 represents the sound. Simplified form of 翄.

Semantic: 羽 Phonetic: 支

About

翅 is a phonosemantic compound, simplified from 翄. The semantic component 羽 (yǔ) "feathers" points to birds and flight, while 支 (zhī) supplies the sound. In the modern arrangement, the phonetic 支 sits on the left and the feather radical 羽 on the right. The character's core meaning is the wing of a bird or insect, the appendage that enables flight. Over time, its use broadened to include similar anatomical structures on other animals, such as fish fins (especially shark fin in cuisine), and later to the wing-like aerodynamic surfaces of aircraft.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这只鸟有翅膀。

Zhè zhī niǎo yǒu chìbǎng.

This bird has wings.

鸡翅很好吃。

Jīchì hěn hǎo chī.

Chicken wings are delicious.

蝴蝶的翅膀很漂亮。

Húdié de chìbǎng hěn piàoliang.

The butterfly's wings are beautiful.

飞机没有翅膀也能飞。

Fēijī méiyǒu chìbǎng yě néng fēi.

Airplanes can fly even without wings.

他点了烤鸡翅和薯条。

Tā diǎn le kǎo jīchì hé shǔtiáo.

He ordered grilled chicken wings and fries.

小鸟用翅膀在天空中飞翔。

Xiǎo niǎo yòng chìbǎng zài tiānkōng zhōng fēixiáng.

Birds use their wings to fly in the sky.

虽然昆虫的翅膀很小，但它们能飞得很远。

Suīrán kūnchóng de chìbǎng hěn xiǎo, dàn tāmen néng fēi de hěn yuǎn.

Although insects' wings are small, they can fly very far.

当我们观察老鹰的翅膀时，会发现它们非常适合滑翔。

Dāng wǒmen guānchá lǎoyīng de chìbǎng shí, huì fāxiàn tāmen fēicháng shìhé huáxiáng.

When we observe the wings of eagles, we find that they are very suitable for gliding.

Related Characters

Component: 支

Component: 羽

翅