脊 meaning and stroke order
Spine, backbone; ridge
How to write 脊, stroke by stroke
10 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 脊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) spine; backbone
- (bound form) ridge
How 脊 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A vertebra 人 protruding from the flesh ⺼.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 脊
The top part looks like a 人 shape sitting over flesh ⺼, like a vertebra poking out above the meat of the back. Picture running your hand down someone's back and feeling those bumps of the spine.
脊 (jǐ) is a bound form, so it appears inside words rather than alone: 脊椎 (jǐzhuī) vertebra, 脊髓 (jǐsuǐ) spinal cord, and 山脊 (shānjǐ) mountain ridge. It covers both the body's spine and anything shaped like a long raised ridge. Example: 他挺直了脊梁。(Tā tǐngzhí le jǐliáng.) He straightened his back.
Common mistake: The headword lists jí, but in modern standard Mandarin the words are read with third tone jǐ, as in 脊梁 (jǐliáng) and 脊椎 (jǐzhuī), so learn the third tone. Also do not confuse it with 背 (bèi), which means the whole back, while 脊 is specifically the spine or ridge line.
Common words with 脊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 脊梁 | jǐliáng | backbone; spine | HSK 7-9 |
| 脊椎 | jǐzhuī | vertebra; backbone | |
| 山脊 | shānjǐ | mountain ridge | |
| 脊柱 | jǐzhù | spinal column; columna vertebralis | |
| 脊髓 | jǐsuǐ | spinal cord; medulla spinalis |
脊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 脊
Learning 脊 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 脊
How many strokes are in 脊?
脊 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 脊 mean?
脊 (jí) means spine, backbone; ridge. A common word with it is 脊梁 (jǐliáng), meaning "backbone; spine".
How do you pronounce 脊?
脊 is pronounced jí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 脊?
The radical of 脊 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 脊 under this radical.
Is 脊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 脊 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 脊梁 mean figuratively?
Besides the literal backbone, 脊梁 (jǐliáng) can mean the pillar or mainstay of a group, like the backbone of a nation. It is often used in praise of people who hold up a society.
How is 脊 used for things other than the body?
It describes the raised top line of something long, such as 山脊 (shānjǐ) a mountain ridge or 屋脊 (wūjǐ) the ridge of a roof. Think of it as any spine-like line along the top.