Definitions

chì (adjective) red; scarlet
chì (adjective) bare; naked

Etymology

Depicts the color of a large () fire ().

About

The character "赤" finds its origin in a conceptual blend of the elements for "big" and "fire", directly indicating its primary association with the color of a substantial flame. While its core meaning has consistently centered on red, early literary applications demonstrate a semantic expansion into notions of bareness or exposure, likely derived from the image of earth stripped bare by fire, and it subsequently acquired abstract connotations of sincerity and loyalty, metaphors linked to the perceived purity and unconcealed nature of the color. This progression in meaning, from the concrete to the ideological, is mirrored in the character's enduring structure, which has maintained its compositional logic and form across centuries of written use.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

天空是色的。

Tiānkōng shì chì sè de.

The sky is red.

脚走路。

Tā chì jiǎo zǒulù.

He walks barefoot.

道穿过非洲。

Chì dào chuānguò Fēizhōu.

The equator passes through Africa.

他对朋友很诚。

Tā duì péngyou hěn chì chéng.

He is very sincere to his friends.

这里的人生活贫。

Zhèlǐ de rén shēnghuó chì pín.

People here live in extreme poverty.

金属被烧得热。

Jīnshǔ bèi shāo dé chì rè.

The metal was burned red-hot.

着脚在沙滩上跑。

Tā chì zhe jiǎo zài shātān shàng pǎo.

He ran barefoot on the beach.

色的夕阳映红了湖水。

Chì sè de xīyáng yìng hóng le hú shuǐ.

The red sunset reflected red on the lake water.