ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

air; gas; anger; energy

4 strokes · curling vapor rising — three drifting breath-lines · HSK 1

Where 气 comes from

Three wavy lines of rising vapor: breath, steam, air. From physical breath it expanded to weather (天气), temperament (脾气) and the life-energy 气 that flows through tai chi and Chinese medicine.

气 in Chinese culture

生气 to get angry is literally 'generate qi' — anger as pressure building inside. 天气 weather, 客气 polite ('guest air'). The same 气 is the qi of qigong and kung-fu films: breath as life force.

Example

天气 tiānqì — weather

别生气!
Bié shēngqì!
Don't get angry!

How to remember it

Wavy lines of rising STEAM — AIR, breath, and boiling ANGER.

不客气 'you're welcome' literally means 'don't be guest-air-y' — drop the polite formality.

Same sound, different tones

1st qī
seven
2nd qí
to ride
4th qì
air

Words unlocked by 气

天气 tiānqì
weather
生气 shēngqì
to get angry

Related characters

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