戒 meaning and stroke order
To guard against; to exhort; to admonish or warn
How to write 戒, 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.
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Meaning of 戒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to guard against
- to exhort
- to admonish or warn
- to give up or stop doing sth
- Buddhist monastic discipline
- ring (for a finger)
How 戒 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Two hands 廾 brandishing a spear 戈.
Radical: 戈 (spear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 戒
The character shows two hands 廾 holding up a spear 戈, like a guard on watch. A guard stays alert and keeps danger away, which leads to the meanings "to guard against" and "to keep away from" a bad habit.
戒 is most often used before a habit to mean quitting it, as in 戒烟 (jiè yān, quit smoking) and 戒酒 (jièjiǔ, quit drinking). It also appears in 戒指 (jièzhi, ring) and in more formal words like 警戒 (jǐngjiè, to be on alert). Example: 我爸爸去年戒烟了。(Wǒ bàba qùnián jiè yān le.) My dad quit smoking last year.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 戒 with 戎 (róng, military) or 或 (huò, or), since all three are built on 戈. In 戒 the bottom part is 廾, two short vertical strokes standing on a horizontal line, so do not write it like the 口 in 或.
Common words with 戒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 戒指 | jièzhi | (finger) ring | HSK 7-9 |
| 戒烟 | jiè yān | to give up smoking | HSK 7-9 |
| 戒备 | jièbèi | to take precautions; to guard against (emergency) | HSK 7-9 |
| 警戒 | jǐngjiè | to warn; to alert | |
| 戒酒 | jièjiǔ | to give up drinking; to abstain from drinking | |
| 戒毒 | jièdú | to kick a drug habit; to abstain from drugs | |
| 婚戒 | hūnjiè | wedding ring | |
| 戒严 | jièyán | to impose martial law; to impose emergency measures | |
| 惩戒 | chéngjiè | to discipline; reprimand | |
| 戒律 | jièlǜ | monastic discipline; commandment | |
| 警戒线 | jǐngjièxiàn | police cordon; alert level | |
| 戒毒所 | jièdúsuǒ | drug rehabilitation center | |
| 钻戒 | zuànjiè | diamond ring | |
| 八戒 | Bājiè | the eight precepts (Buddhism) |
戒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 戒
Learning 戒 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 戒
How many strokes are in 戒?
戒 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 戒 mean?
戒 (jiè) means to guard against; to exhort; to admonish or warn. A common word with it is 戒指 (jièzhi), meaning "(finger) ring".
How do you pronounce 戒?
戒 is pronounced jiè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 戒?
The radical of 戒 is 戈, which carries the idea of "spear". Dictionaries list 戒 under this radical.
Is 戒 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 戒 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say "to quit" a habit in Chinese, and is 戒 the right word?
Yes, 戒 is the standard verb for quitting an addictive habit, such as smoking, drinking, or drugs (戒毒 jièdú). For quitting a job or school you would use other words, such as 辞职 (cízhí) or 退学 (tuìxué).
Why does 戒指 mean ring?
In 戒指 (jièzhi), 指 means finger, so the word is literally a band worn on the finger. In everyday speech the second syllable is usually said with a light, neutral tone. A wedding ring is 婚戒 (hūnjiè).