Meaning
6th heavenly stem; self
Chinese: 自己，也作天干之一。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “ji” becomes a different word in each tone. 己 is the 3rd tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 自己zì jǐoneself; (attributive) one's own
- 各抒己见gè shū jǐ jiàneveryone gives their own view
- 知己zhī jǐto know oneself; to be intimate or close; intimate friend
- 身不由己shēn bù yóu jǐ(idiom) (of one's circumstances) beyond one's control; unable to do anything about it; (of one's actions) not subject to conscious control (i.e. done in spite of oneself)
- 损人利己sǔn rén lì jǐharming others for one's personal benefit (idiom); personal gain to the detriment of others
Example Sentence
我们要做好自己的事情。Wǒ men yào zuò hǎo zì jǐ de shì qing.We should do our own things well.
我们Wǒ menwe要yàoto want做zuòto make好hǎogood自己zì jǐoneself的deof事情shì qingaffair。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph (a bent cord/marker). It means ‘oneself, self’ (自己), and is the 6th of the ten Heavenly Stems. Note its top is fully open (vs half-open 已, closed 巳).
A way to remember it
Fully open top = 己 (self); half-open = 已 (already); closed = 巳.
Easy to confuse with
- 已‘Already’: the same shape but the top is only half-open.