羁 (jī) - bridle & halter

羁Tone 1

jī ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

慧佳

羁 · jī

bridle;

halter;

to restrain;

to detain;

to stay;

to lodge;

to be stranded;

to involve;

to entangle.

bridlehalterto restrain

Usage highlights

bridle and reinsfetters and bondstraveler lodgingdetain and delayentangled and involvedwanderer's nostalgia

Synonyms

  • 束— to bind, restrain
  • 绊— to trip, hinder
  • 勒— to rein in, bridle

Antonyms

  • 放— to release, set free
  • 纵— to indulge, let loose
  • 逸— to escape, flee

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The horse's bridle (马羁) was beautifully decorated.
  • He felt constrained by social conventions (羁绊).
  • The traveler lodged at an inn (羁旅).
  • The ship was stranded in the harbor (羁留).

Collocations

  • bridle and reins(羁勒)
  • fetters and bonds(羁绊)
  • traveler lodging(羁旅)
  • detain and delay(羁留)
  • entangled and involved(羁縻)
  • wanderer's nostalgia(羁思)

Idioms

  • To break free from all restraints(放荡不羁)
  • Wandering far from home, nostalgic for native place(羁旅之思)
  • Detained by official duties(官事羁身)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to horse tack, symbolizing control and restraint.
  • In literature, often evokes themes of wandering, nostalgia, and the constraints of duty or society.
  • Used in classical poetry to express the melancholy of travelers or officials stationed far from home.

FAQ