齑 (jī) - Finely chopped or minced food, especially pickled vegetables & to grind or crush into small pieces

齑Tone 1

jī ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

慧佳

齑 · jī

Finely chopped or minced food, especially pickled vegetables;

to grind or crush into small pieces;

metaphorically refers to something broken into fragments.

Finely chopped or minced food, especially pickled vegetablesto grind or crush into small piecesmetaphorically refers to something broken into fragments.

Usage highlights

Minced gingerPickled vegetablesGround to powderBroken to piecesCold picklesYellow pickles

Synonyms

  • 碎— broken, fragments
  • 粉— powder, fine particles
  • 末— powder, fine dust

Antonyms

  • 整— whole, intact
  • 全— complete, entire

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The recipe calls for minced ginger (姜齑).
  • He was so poor he had to eat pickled vegetables (齑盐).
  • The glass fell and shattered into pieces (碎如齑粉).
  • Ancient alchemists ground minerals into powder (研成齑粉).

Collocations

  • Minced ginger(姜齑)
  • Pickled vegetables(齑盐)
  • Ground to powder(齑粉)
  • Broken to pieces(碎如齑粉)
  • Cold pickles(寒齑)
  • Yellow pickles(黄齑)

Idioms

  • To be broken into pieces(化为齑粉)
  • Living in poverty with only pickles to eat(齑盐自守)
  • Yellow pickles and coarse rice — a simple, frugal life(黄齑淡饭)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with poverty and frugal living, as pickled vegetables were staple food for the poor.
  • Used in alchemical and medicinal contexts to describe the process of grinding substances into fine powder.
  • Appears in classical literature to depict humble living conditions and simple diets.

FAQ