Writing Balance Rule: The left side (the food/vessel component 皀) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (the person/kneeling figure 卩) balances it out by anchoring the right edge firmly.
1. Meaning
namely, that is, prompt, at once
at presenteven ifto approachto assume office
Adverb / VerbFormal / Literary and Neutral#logic#time#action
Sample Usage
即日启程
jí rì qǐ chéng
set off the same day
也就是
yě jiù shì
that is to say (using the related word 就)
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕi³⁵]/Tone: 35
即
jíji2
|
++
´(35)
=jí
Initial Consonant
j
Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: j sound as in 'jeep' (alveolo-palatal unaspirated affricate)
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of tongue approaches hard palate, tip down behind lower teeth
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
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts mid and rises sharply to the top, matching an incredulous English question like 'Huh?' or 'Really?'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the rising Tone 2 (jí) with Tone 4 (jì) or Tone 3 (jǐ).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Rise your hand upwards from left to right as if asking a question with 'Gee?'
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (the food/vessel component 皀) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (the person/kneeling figure 卩) balances it out by anchoring the right edge firmly.
4. Components
Radical卩 · Seal Radical (kneeling person)
Semantic Clue (形旁):卩 (Represents a person approaching or kneeling down)
On the left is a food vessel (皀), and on the right is a kneeling person (卩) approaching it to eat right away.
皀 food vessel / grain
卩 kneeling person approaching
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
5· Phonetic Root: 即 (jí)
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)
Origin: In Oracle Bone scripts, it depicts a person (卩) kneeling right in front of a food container (皀) to eat immediately.
Semantic Evolution: From 'approaching food to eat' it extended to mean 'at once', 'promptly', and 'namely / that is'.
The character bridges physical approach and immediate timing.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
tức
High rising tone in Mandarin maps to sắc tone in Sino-Vietnamese.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ショク (shoku) or ジク (jiku) / Kun: すなわち (sunawachi)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
즉
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
A hungry person (卩) rushes right up to the food bowl (皀) to eat IMMEDIATELY (jí).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
既
jìalreadyUses the same left component 皀, but with a different right component indicating finished action.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
既(jì)
即 has 卩 (kneeling person) on the right; 既 has a reflective/finished marker on the right.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
时间就是生命，我们要___行动起来。
Clue: jí
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing it with 既 (jì - already) due to the identical left-hand component 皀.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 即 mean when seen in formal contexts like '即日'?
Production: How do you write the character for 'namely / at once' (jí) with 7 strokes?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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即jínamely, at once, promptly
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