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凄 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
Hanzi
Pinyin
English
Tags
凄
qī
intense cold
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
frigid
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
dismal
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
grim
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
bleak
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
sad
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
mournful
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
bitter cold, miserable, dreary
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
also written 淒
HSK 7, a, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
凄
qī
also written 淒|凄[qi1]
HSK 7, unknown, 10 strokes, radical 冫, rank #29068, Very Hard
qī(qi1)qi T1
1intense cold
2frigid
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March 24, 2026
凄qī(qi1)
The character 凄 (qī) conveys a sense of intense cold and bleakness, often associated with sadness or mourning. It is commonly used to describe weather that is frigid or dismal, as well as feelings of deep sorrow or grief. In literary contexts, it evokes imagery of desolation and despair.
Strokes10Radical冫Frequency#29068DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural note
In Chinese literature, the character 凄 often appears in poetry to evoke feelings of loss and sadness, reflecting the importance of nature’s coldness as a metaphor for emotional states. For example, it is used in traditional poems during the winter months to symbolize solitude and longing.
Memory tip
Imagine a freezing wind blowing through a desolate landscape, where everything feels cold and mournful. The character 凄 looks like a person shivering in the cold (the top part resembles a shivering figure) with the radical for cold (氵) suggesting the chill of water. Remember 'qī' sounds like 'chilly' to connect the pronunciation with its meaning.
Meanings of 凄
qī(qi1)
1intense cold
2frigid
Exercise 1 of 2
By ear
Play it, then pick what 凄 means.
About 凄
凄Simplified
10Strokes
冫Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#29068Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L7
Podcast: 凄
Podcast: 凄
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AI study notes for 凄
Quick Contrast
凄 (qī) vs 悲 (bēi) — use 凄 for cold, bleak feelings or weather, while 悲 specifically denotes sadness or sorrow.
Usage Notes
Learners might confuse 凄 with its variant 淒, which has similar meanings but is less commonly used. Use 凄 in both written and spoken contexts to express emotional bleakness or harsh weather. Be careful with tone; it has a high first tone (qī) that can be mistaken for the low tone (qì) of '气' meaning air.
HSK Study Tips
As this character is not part of the official HSK vocabulary, focus on its usage in literary texts and poetry to understand its emotional depth. Connect it with other HSK vocabulary related to emotions and weather to enhance comprehension.
Common Mistakes
Learners often mix up 凄 with similar-sounding words such as '气' (qì). For example, saying '我觉得很气' (wǒ juédé hěn qì) instead of '我觉得很凄' (wǒ juédé hěn qī) can lead to confusion, as the former means 'I feel air' rather than 'I feel sad and cold.'
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 凄
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Example
Learning Lab
Knowing 凄 is seven skills, not one.
Its meaning, its character, its pinyin, its tone — hearing it, saying it, writing it. The Learning Lab measures each one from your own practice, on every word you study, so you see what you actually know rather than how much you have done.
凄 = 冫 + 妻. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 凄
IDS Structure⿰冫妻
凄Full character
=
冫bing1
left
妻qi1
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Parts
Which of these is part of 凄?
How to say intense cold in Chinese
“intense cold” in Chinese is凄qī
The character 凄 (qī) conveys a sense of intense cold and bleakness, often associated with sadness or mourning. It is commonly used to describe weather that is frigid or dismal, as well as feelings of deep sorrow or grief. In literary contexts, it evokes imagery of desolation and despair.
When to use 凄
Learners might confuse 凄 with its variant 淒, which has similar meanings but is less commonly used. Use 凄 in both written and spoken contexts to express emotional bleakness or harsh weather. Be careful with tone; it has a high first tone (qī) that can be mistaken for the low tone (qì) of '气' meaning air.
凄 or something close to it
凄 (qī) vs 悲 (bēi) — use 凄 for cold, bleak feelings or weather, while 悲 specifically denotes sadness or sorrow.
What learners get wrong
Learners often mix up 凄 with similar-sounding words such as '气' (qì). For example, saying '我觉得很气' (wǒ juédé hěn qì) instead of '我觉得很凄' (wǒ juédé hěn qī) can lead to confusion, as the former means 'I feel air' rather than 'I feel sad and cold.'
Write 凄
凄
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Practice writing 凄 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar patterns of 凄
凄 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 10 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Exercise 1 of 4
Fill the gap
Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.
我们目睹了一家人正在收拾家当准备离开的____惨景象。
We encountered the pathetic sight of a family packing up its home.
Example sentences for 凄 (10)
Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
我们目睹了一家人正在收拾家当准备离开的凄惨景象。
wǒmen mùdǔ le yījiārén zhèngzài shōushi jiā dāng zhǔnbèi líkāi de qī cǎn jǐngxiàng。
We encountered the pathetic sight of a family packing up its home.
2
26分钟之后他一瘸一拐地走出来，显得孤单凄凉。
26 fēnzhōng zhīhòu tā yī qué yī guǎi dì zǒu chūlái， xiǎnde gūdān qīliáng。
He looked a forlorn figure as he limped off after 26 minutes.
3
那则报道把那里的生活描绘得很凄惨。
nà zé bàodào bǎ nàlǐ de shēnghuó miáohuì de hěn qī cǎn。
The report paints a grim picture of life there.
4
这使她感到几分宽慰, 不过这是一种索然无味而又凄然的宽慰罢了.
zhè shǐ tā gǎndào jǐ fēn kuān wèi, búguò zhè shì yī zhǒng Suǒ rán wú wèi ér yòu qī rán de kuān wèi bàle.
It afforded her a little relief, of a dull and cheerless kind.
5
她的书是女性当下所面临问题的凄凉写照。
tā de shū shì nǚxìng dāngxià suǒ miànlín wèntí de qīliáng xiězhào。
Her book paints a bleak picture of the problems women now face.
6
人们脸上也是阴沉沉的,愁眉不展, 反映着凄楚的心情.
rénmen liǎn shàng yě shì yīn chén chén de, chóu méi bù Zhǎn, fǎnyìng zhe qī Chǔ de xīnqíng.
It looked on downcast faces, the images of mournful hearts.
7
科泽莱克不带一丝顾影自怜地表达了自己的凄凉悲怆之感。
kē zé lái kè bù dài yī sī gù yǐng zì lián dì biǎodá le zìjǐ de qīliáng bēi chuàng zhī gǎn。
Kozelek expresses his sense of desolation absolutely without self-pity.
8
后来在他迷迷糊糊 、 似睡非睡的状态中,从外面传来一阵非常凄惨的猫儿叫春的声音.
hòulái zài tā mí mí hú hú、 shì shuì fēi shuì de zhuàngtài zhōng, cóng wàimiàn chuánlái yízhèn fēicháng qī cǎn de māo ér jiào chūn de shēngyīn.
And then there came, mingling with his half - formed dreams , a most melancholy caterwauling.
How calm. The persimmon orchard. Under the wintry moon.
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Word Family of 凄
Words containing this character20
凄凉qīliángmournful悽涼
凄惨qīcǎnplaintive悽慘
凄qīfrigid
凄厉qīlìmournful (sound)淒厲
凄然qīrándistressed悽然
凄苦qīkǔbleak悽苦
凄美qīměipoignant淒美
凄婉qīwǎnmelancholy淒婉
凄迷qīmípained and bewildered悽迷
凄楚qīchǔsad悽楚
凄凄qīqīcold and dismal淒淒
凄清qīqīngsomber淒清
凄风苦雨qīfēngkǔyǔfig. hardships淒風苦雨
悲凄bēiqīpitiable悲悽
凄惶qīhuángdistressed and terrified淒惶
凄怆qīchuàngpitiful悽愴
凄切qīqièmournful淒切
凄恻qīcèheartbroken悽惻
凄寒qīháncold and desolate淒寒
凄哀qī’āidesolate悽哀
Exercise 1 of 4
Words with 凄
What does 凄凉 mean?
Frequently asked questions about 凄
Both characters convey similar meanings of coldness and sadness, but 凄 is more commonly used in modern contexts, while 淒 is often found in classical literature.
Yes, 凄 is often used to describe intensely cold weather or a bleak atmosphere.
The correct pronunciation is 'qī' with a high, level tone.
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