繫 (jì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

繫

jì[ji4]Tone 4

to tie, to fasten, to button up

HSK 1

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系

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to tie, to fasten, to button up

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top element compact and balanced over the bottom twisting strokes, ensuring the central vertical line anchors the entire character.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form '繫' is extremely complex with 19 strokes depicting hands tying threads. The simplified form '系' preserves the general structural silhouette while drastically reducing strokes for modern usage.

1. Meaning

to tie or fasten

to button upto connect or relate

VerbNeutral#actions#clothing#connections

Sample Usage

请系好安全带。
Qǐng jì hǎo ānquándài.
Please fasten your seatbelt.
把扣子系上。
Bǎ kòuzi jì shàng.
Button up your buttons.

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕi⁵¹]/Tone: 51

繫

jìji4

`(51)

=jì

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: j sound as in 'jeep'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches or comes close to the hard palate behind the alveolar ridge.

Final Rhyme

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

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, similar to saying 'No!' or 'Stop!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse it with the first tone (jī) or second tone (jí). The fourth tone starts high and drops decisively like an exclamation.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful chop downward with your hand, mirroring the abrupt drop from a high pitch to a low pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top element compact and balanced over the bottom twisting strokes, ensuring the central vertical line anchors the entire character.

4. Components

Radical 糸 · Silk Radical (silk, thread, cord)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 糸 (indicates tying with cords or threads)

The character combines threads and structural strokes to represent the action of binding, tying, or fastening things together securely.

丿 top stroke
糸 silk/thread base meaning

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 毄 ()

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted hands manipulating cords or threads to secure and bind objects together, evolving into the abstract concept of connection and fastening.

Semantic Evolution: From ancient bindings of silk threads, it expanded to mean fastening clothes, tying seatbelts, and metaphorically connecting or relating.

The traditional character '繫' visually portrays hands working with silken cords.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

hệ

The tone corresponds roughly to a heavy falling or dipping tone, maintaining a parallel root meaning.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ケイ (kei) / Kun: つなぐ (tsunagu), かかる (kakaru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

계

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine using silken threads (糸) to tie up your jacket securely before stepping out into the cold wind.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

孙

sūngrandchildChild (子) connected to the family line (糸).

紧

jǐntightHolding a monster (竖) tightly with cords (糸).

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

孙(sūn)

孫/孙 replaces the top part with a child (子), whereas 系 has a distinct sweeping top header.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

坐上汽車後，請把安全帶[___]好。

Clue: jì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the fourth tone pronunciation (jì) with the first tone (jī) or third tone (jǐ), or struggling with the simplified versus traditional stroke density.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see '系' meaning 'to tie', what is its Pinyin and tone?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to fasten/tie' with Pinyin jì?

繫jìto tie, to fasten, to button up

Speed:

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