Writing Balance Rule: Keep the horizontal strokes balanced and parallel, with the vertical/hook stroke sweeping gracefully down and to the right to anchor the character's center of gravity.
1. Meaning
to beg, to ask for alms or food
to request humblysurname
VerbLiterary#action#society#human relations
Sample Usage
乞丐
qǐgài
beggar
乞求
qǐqiú
to beg for, to entreat
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕʰi³⁵]/Tone: 35
乞
qǐqi3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=qǐ
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
qi
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
q
Type: Aspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: ch sound made with tongue blade near the roof of the mouth
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Extremely strong burst of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST fly.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Flat tongue blade pressed against the back of the lower teeth while the middle of the tongue rises toward the hard palate, releasing a strong puff of air.
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: ee sound as in 'see'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low then rises up, mirroring a skeptical English question tone like 'Really?'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing 'qǐ' with 'qí' (Tone 2) or mixing it up with retroflex initials like 'chǐ'. Remember 'q' is a blade-alveolar/palatal sound made near the teeth/roof of the mouth, not curled back.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid-low pitch and sweep your hand upward sharply to the sky, exactly like asking 'Huh?' in disbelief.
3. Writing
Topology: Single character · Strokes: 3 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the horizontal strokes balanced and parallel, with the vertical/hook stroke sweeping gracefully down and to the right to anchor the character's center of gravity.
4. Components
Radical乙 · Second Radical (second, crooked)
The character features a top horizontal stroke followed by a vertical hook, ending with a slanted component resembling a person leaning or asking.
一 Top horizontal stroke
乙 Lower body forming the phonetic and base shape
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
12· Phonetic Root: 乞 (qǐ)
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: Originally depicted a person bending over or kneeling to ask for something, evolving into the modern representation of begging or pleading.
Semantic Evolution: From the physical posture of a person imploring or bending down, it shifted to mean 'to beg' or 'to request' in general.
Appears frequently in classical texts associated with supplication and giving alms.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
khất
The entering tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to short checked syllables, aligning with the concise nature of the root.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: キツ (kitsu) / Kun: 乞う (kou)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
걸
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
A person stands at the top (一) bending their body (乙) downward, kneeling on the ground to beg for food with an open hand.