ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to tie; knot; to conclude

jié
9 strokes · 纟 (silk) + 吉 (auspicious, sound) · HSK 3

Where 结 comes from

Silk 纟 tied into an auspicious 吉 knot. Before writing, Chinese tradition says people 结绳记事 — knotted cords to record events. Tying became joining, joining became concluding.

结 in Chinese culture

结婚 marry (tie the knot — same metaphor as English!), 结果 result (the fruit that forms), 结束 finish. The Chinese knot 中国结 hangs red in doorways every New Year.

Example

结婚 jiéhūn — to marry

他们明年结婚。
Tāmen míngnián jiéhūn.
They're getting married next year.

How to remember it

SILK tied in a lucky KNOT — to TIE, to JOIN, to CONCLUDE.

结果 read jiēguǒ (1st tone) means 'to bear fruit' literally; read jiéguǒ it's the abstract 'result' — one word, botanical and logical.

Same sound, different tones

1st jiē
to receive
2nd jié
to tie
3rd jiě
older sister

Words unlocked by 结

结婚 jiéhūn
to marry
结果 jiéguǒ
result

Related characters

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