About
The character 齿 (chǐ) originated as a pictograph of an open mouth with visible teeth, a form still clear in the traditional 齒, which has the phonetic element 止 (zhǐ) above a detailed depiction of upper and lower teeth. The simplified version streamlines this, replacing the detailed teeth with a structure resembling 人 (rén) inside a boundary for easier writing. Its core meaning is the anatomical teeth of humans and animals, a concept that extends metaphorically to describe objects with small, sharp, repeating projections, like the interlocking gears of a machine or the edge of a saw.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的牙齿很白。
医生检查了我的牙齿。
这个机器有齿轮。
小孩子要保护牙齿。
锯子上有锯齿。
定期看牙医对牙齿好。
齿轮和齿条一起工作。
这种材料的齿形设计很独特。