弃 meaning and stroke order
To abandon, to discard, to reject; to desert; to forget
How to write 弃, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 弃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to abandon
- to relinquish
- to discard
- to throw away
How 弃 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Two hands 廾 discarding a dead, swaddled baby 亠厶.
Radical: 廾 (two hands), shared by 10 characters on this site.
How to remember 弃
The etymology shows two hands 廾 at the bottom pushing away a swaddled baby, drawn as 亠 over 厶 on top. Picture hands letting go of a bundle, and you have 弃 (qì), to abandon or throw away.
弃 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in two-character words like 放弃 (fàngqì, to give up), 丢弃 (diūqì, to discard) and 嫌弃 (xiánqì, to look down on). Example: 别放弃。(Bié fàngqì.) Don't give up.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 立 or 云 instead of 亠 over 厶, or forget the 廾 hands at the bottom. Also keep the fourth tone qì so it does not sound like 起 (qǐ) or 气 (qì) in a different word.
Common words with 弃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 放弃 | fàngqì | to renounce; to abandon; to give up | HSK 5 |
| 抛弃 | pāoqì | to abandon; to discard | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗弃 | yíqì | to leave; to abandon | HSK 7-9 |
| 丢弃 | diūqì | to discard; to abandon | HSK 7-9 |
| 嫌弃 | xiánqì | to regard with disdain; to shun | HSK 7-9 |
| 废弃 | fèiqì | to discard; to abandon (old ways) | |
| 舍弃 | shěqì | to give up; to abandon | |
| 背弃 | bèiqì | to abandon; to desert | |
| 弃权 | qìquán | to waive a right; to abstain (from voting) | |
| 唾弃 | tuòqì | to spurn; to disdain | |
| 摒弃 | bìngqì | to abandon; to discard | |
| 自暴自弃 | zìbàozìqì | to abandon oneself to despair; to give up and stop bothering | |
| 弃船 | qìchuán | to abandon ship | |
| 离弃 | líqì | to abandon |
弃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 弃
How many strokes are in 弃?
弃 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 弃 mean?
弃 (qì) means to abandon, to discard, to reject; to desert; to forget. A common word with it is 放弃 (fàngqì), meaning "to renounce; to abandon; to give up".
How do you pronounce 弃?
弃 is pronounced qì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 弃?
The radical of 弃 is 廾, which carries the idea of "two hands". Dictionaries list 弃 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 弃?
The traditional form of 弃 is 棄. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 弃 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 弃 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 弃 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 放弃 and 抛弃?
放弃 (fàngqì) means giving up a goal, chance or right, like 放弃机会 (to give up an opportunity). 抛弃 (pāoqì) is stronger and often emotional, used for abandoning people or things, like 被男朋友抛弃 (dumped by a boyfriend).
How do I say I am not picky or do not mind using 弃?
Use 嫌弃 (xiánqì) in the negative: 我不嫌弃。(Wǒ bù xiánqì.) means I don't mind it or I don't look down on it. People often say this politely when offered something humble.