Writing Balance Rule: The left side (月, meat radical) should be slightly narrower and compressed, leaving ample space for the right side (支, branch).
1. Meaning
limb (arm or leg of a human or animal)
extremitybranch or offshoot
NounNeutral#anatomy#body parts
Sample Usage
四肢
sì zhī
four limbs (arms and legs)
前肢
qián zhī
forelimb
2. Sound
/[ʈʂʐ̩˥˥]/Tone: 55
肢
zhīzhi1
|
++
¯(55)
=zhī
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
zhi
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
zh
Type: Unaspirated Retroflex
Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound
UnaspiratedRetroflex
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate
Final Rhyme
i (-i*)
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: ee sound after retroflex
Note: Written as 'i (-i*)', pronounced as rounded 'i' [y].
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'zh-' (jr) with final '-i' (rr/zz).
Common Learner Trap: Do NOT pronounce '-i' as 'ee' after zh-! Keep your tongue in the consonant position and buzz 'rr/zz'.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch (55), comparable to singing a single sustained note at the top of your normal speaking voice.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex 'zhī' with the alveolar dental 'zī' (zi), failing to curl the tongue back properly.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A steady, flat horizontal line drawn at the very top of your vocal range, like a drone humming on a single high note.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (月, meat radical) should be slightly narrower and compressed, leaving ample space for the right side (支, branch).
4. Components
Radical月 · Meat Radical (fànɡròu) (meat, flesh, body parts)
Semantic Clue (形旁):月 (indicates flesh and body parts)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):支 (original sound: zhī)
Flesh (月) plus a supporting branch-like structure (支) equals a limb of the body.
月 flesh / body part
支 branch / support (phonetic & conceptual clue)
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
14· Phonetic Root: 支 (zhī)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the meat/flesh radical (月, representing body tissue) and 支 (zhī, representing a branch), showing how limbs branch off the torso like branches from a tree trunk.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to the arms and legs as branches of the human torso, extending later to animal limbs and metaphorical branches.
The component 月 on the left side of Chinese body part characters is traditionally known as 肉月旁 (ròuyuèpáng), morphing visually from the character for meat (肉).
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
chi
Similar to ngang (level) tone in Vietnamese.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: シ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
지
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared Sino-Xenic root 'chi' / 'ji' across East Asian languages.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine your limbs (肢) as sturdy tree branches (支) growing directly out of your fleshy torso (月).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
支
zhīto support, branch, classifier for long thin objectsPhonetic Core (声旁)