杞 meaning and stroke order
Willow, medlar tree; a small feudal state
How to write 杞, 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 杞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- Chinese wolfberry shrub (Lycium chinense)
- willow
How 杞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 己 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 杞
杞 is a tree 木 (mù) on the left with 己 (jǐ) on the right. 己 gives the sound, so think of it as the tree whose name sounds like jǐ, which is read qǐ.
Today 杞 mostly appears in the word 枸杞 (gǒuqǐ), the wolfberry or goji berry used in tea and soup. It also appears in the old saying 杞人忧天 (qǐ rén yōu tiān), about a man from the state of Qi who worried the sky would fall. Example: 我每天喝枸杞茶。(Wǒ měitiān hē gǒuqǐ chá.) I drink goji tea every day.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the right side 己 (jǐ) with 已 (yǐ) or 巳 (sì), which look almost the same. In 杞 the top-right stroke stays open, just like in 己.
Questions about 杞
How many strokes are in 杞?
杞 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 杞 mean?
杞 (qǐ) means willow, medlar tree; a small feudal state.
How do you pronounce 杞?
杞 is pronounced qǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 杞?
The radical of 杞 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 杞 under this radical.
What does 杞人忧天 mean?
It means worrying about something that is very unlikely to happen. It comes from a story about a man of the ancient state of 杞 (Qǐ) who feared the sky would collapse. You can use it to tease someone for needless worry.
Is goji the same as 枸杞?
Yes. The English word goji comes from the Chinese name 枸杞 (gǒuqǐ). In Chinese the dried berries are often called 枸杞子 (gǒuqǐzǐ).