齒 (chǐ) - Tooth & teeth

齒Tone 3

chǐ ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

齒 · chǐ

Tooth;

teeth;

age;

gears;

anything tooth-shaped;

to state explicitly.

Toothteethage

Usage highlights

TeethGearsAgeToothbrushToothpasteDentist

Synonyms

  • 牙— Tooth (more common in modern colloquial use)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Brush your teeth (刷牙齒).
  • The gears are meshing (齒輪嚙合).
  • He is my senior by several years (他長我幾齒).
  • The saw has sharp teeth (鋸子有鋒利的齒).

Collocations

  • Teeth(牙齒)
  • Gears(齒輪)
  • Age(年齒)
  • Toothbrush(牙刷)
  • Toothpaste(牙膏)
  • Dentist(牙醫)

Idioms

  • Unable to articulate(難以啟齒)
  • Not worth mentioning(不足掛齒)
  • Gnashing teeth in hatred(咬牙切齒)
  • Smiling so widely that the teeth show(笑不露齒)
  • Age and virtue(年高德劭, sometimes written with 齒)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, teeth were sometimes used as a metaphor for age and seniority.
  • The character's radical (齒) itself depicts a mouth with teeth, making it one of the more pictographic radicals.
  • Well-maintained teeth were historically associated with health, dignity, and social status.

FAQ