衹

qí

氏 + 衤

Definitions

qí robe of a Buddhist monk or nun

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 衤 represents the meaning and 氏 represents the sound. Variant form of 緹.

Semantic: 衤 Phonetic: 氏

About

衹 is a phonosemantic compound: 衤 (clothing) provides the meaning and 氏 the sound. A variant form of 緹, it originally designated a particular garment or a respectful appearance associated with formal attire. Through phonetic borrowing and the visual similarity between the clothing radical 衤 and the spirit radical 礻, it merged with 祇 and became widely used as an adverb meaning "only" or "merely", while the clothing sense fell out of use.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他衹说中文。

Tā zhǐ shuō Zhōngwén.

He only speaks Chinese.

我衹需要五分钟。

Wǒ zhǐ xūyào wǔ fēnzhōng.

I only need five minutes.

她衹是笑了笑。

Tā zhǐshì xiàole xiào.

She just smiled.

这本书衹有十页。

Zhè běn shū zhǐ yǒu shí yè.

This book only has ten pages.

他衹会唱歌，不会跳舞。

Tā zhǐ huì chànggē, bù huì tiàowǔ.

He can only sing, not dance.

我衹在周末看电视。

Wǒ zhǐ zài zhōumò kàn diànshì.

I only watch TV on weekends.

如果你衹考虑自己，别人不会喜欢你。

Rúguǒ nǐ zhǐ kǎolǜ zìjǐ, biérén bù huì xǐhuān nǐ.

If you only consider yourself, others will not like you.

尽管他衹是一个初学者，但他的进步很快。

Jǐnguǎn tā zhǐshì yīgè chūxuézhě, dàn tā de jìnbù hěn kuài.

Although he is only a beginner, his progress is fast.

Related Characters

Component: 氏

Component: 衤