Definitions

kuí (noun) chief; head; leader
kuí (adjective) outstanding; exceptional

Etymology ideographic

One who fought  a ghost  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 魁 is structurally formed from the components 鬼 (ghost) and 斗 (dipper), with its earliest meanings centered on a ladle or dipper, directly drawing from the semantic element 斗. Over centuries, its application shifted from a concrete utensil to abstract notions of leadership and preeminence, often referring to a chief or the foremost individual, as reflected in the term 魁首. This semantic expansion further incorporated qualities of large stature or imposing presence, evident in words like 魁梧. While the 鬼 component may have originally served a phonetic function, the character's etymological core and evolved meanings remain linked to the idea of a dipper as a leading or primary vessel.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他的身材很梧。

Tā de shēncái hěn kuíwú.

His figure is very tall and sturdy.

他是团队的首。

Tā shì tuánduì de kuíshǒu.

He is the leader of the team.

北克是加拿大省份。

Kuíběikè shì Jiānádà shěngfèn.

Quebec is a province of Canada.

人们崇拜星。

Rénmen chóngbài kuíxīng.

People worship the Kuixing star.

那座山很伟。

Nà zuò shān hěn kuíwěi.

That mountain is very imposing.

这位篮球运动员身材梧高大。

Zhè wèi lánqiú yùndòngyuán shēncái kuíwú gāodà.

This basketball player has a tall and sturdy figure.

他在比赛中荣获首称号。

Tā zài bǐsài zhōng róng huò kuíshǒu chēnghào.

He won the title of champion in the competition.

星楼是古代文人常去的地方。

Kuíxīng lóu shì gǔdài wénrén cháng qù de dìfāng.

The Kuixing Tower is a place where ancient scholars often visited.