chi

chi

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2/B language code for Chinese.

From Latin chī, from Ancient Greek χεῖ (kheî).

• khi

• IPA^(key): /kaɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ

chi (plural chis)

1. The twenty-second letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets.

• chi distribution
• chi-square

From the Mandarin 氣／气 (qì) from the Wade–Giles romanization: chʻi⁴, from Middle Chinese 氣 (MC kʰɨi^H), from Old Chinese 氣 (OC *kʰɯds, “breath, vapor”). Compare modern Japanese 気(き) (ki), Korean 기 (氣, gi) and Vietnamese khí (氣).

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiː/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

chi (usually uncountable, plural chis)

1. (philosophy) A life force in traditional Chinese philosophy, culture, medicine, etc, related (but not limited) to breath and circulation.
   • [1987, “ch'i”, in Encyclopedia Britannica‎, volume 3, 15th edition, →ISBN, LCCN 85-82101, OCLC 852039661, page 186, column 3:

     Early Taoist philosophers and alchemists regarded ch'i as a vital force inhering in the breath and bodily fluids and developed techniques to alter and control the movement of ch'i within the body; their aim was to achieve physical longevity and spiritual power.]

   • 2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, Viking Press, page 196:

     He took several deep breaths, finding his chi as Butler had taught him.

• ki, qi

• chi kung

From the pinyin romanization of Mandarin 尺 (chǐ). Doublet of chek.

• chih, ch'ih

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃə/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

chi (usually uncountable, plural chis)

1. The Chinese foot, a traditional Chinese unit of length based on the human forearm.
2. (Mainland China) The Chinese unit of length standardized in 1984 as ¹/₃ of a meter.
3. (Taiwan) The Taiwanese unit of length standardized as ¹⁰/₃₃ of a meter, identical to the Japanese shaku.
4. (Hong Kong) The chek or Hong Kong foot, a unit of length standardized as 0.371475 meters.

• (traditional, mainland): Chinese foot
• (Taiwan): Taiwanese foot
• (Hong Kong): Hong Kong foot, chek

• shaku, the equivalent Japanese unit

chi (plural chis)

1. Clipping of chihuahua.

• CIH, HCI, ICH, IHC, Ich, hic, ich

chi

1. fire

• (Standard Cornish) chy

From Proto-Brythonic *tɨɣ, from Proto-Celtic *tegos, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg-.

• (Revived Middle Cornish) IPA^(key): [tʃiː]

chi m (plural chiow or treven)

1. (Standard Written Form) house

chi

1. H-system spelling of ĉi

• চি

From Proto-Bodo-Garo *tɯi¹ (“water”), from Proto-Tibeto-Burman *ti(y), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-t(w)əj-n ~ m-ti-s (“water; fluid; liquid; river; to soak; to spit”). Cognate with Atong (India) tyi (“water”), Kokborok twi (“water”).

chi

1. water

• chibatram
• chibima
• chibol
• chidari
• chidek
• chiga
• chigitok
• chiganduri
• chijima
• chiklok
• chimik
• chipek
• chirama
• chiret
• chiriking

• chiring
• chisam
• chisikwilwilgipa
• chitingkilok
• kramchi
• mikchi

• The Bodos in Assam: a socio-cultural study, year 2005-2006 (2007)

chi

1. grandfather

chi

1. not

• IPA^(key): /ki/^*

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: chi

From Latin quis, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis, *kʷos.

chi

1. (interrogative pronoun) who, whom
2. (interrogative pronoun) whoever

From Latin quī, from Old Latin quei, from Proto-Italic *kʷoi.

chi

1. (relative pronoun) who, whom
2. (relative pronoun) whoever

Borrowed from Latin chī, from Ancient Greek χεῖ (kheî).

chi m or f (invariable)

1. chi (Greek letter)

chi in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

chi

1. Rōmaji transcription of ち
2. Rōmaji transcription of チ

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃʰiː/

chi

1. and
2. that
3. in

• are chi (“in order that”)
• chi chawal (“in secret”)
• chi ik’ (“monthly”)
• chi jumul (“once again”)
• chi nojimal (“slowly; little by little”)
• chi saqil (“in the open; openly”)
• libaj chi (“early”)
• rajwaxik chi (“to be necessary to”)
• taqom chi kaj (“commanded from heaven; sent from heaven”)
• -umal chi (“because”)
• wuqoj chi paq (“bubble”)
• wuqüb chi wuqub (“7x7”)

• Allen J. Christenson, Kʼiche-English dictionary

chi

1. ten

• Binoy Debbarma, Concise Kokborok-English-Bengali Dictionary (2001)

From Latin quis, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís. Cognates include French qui and Italian chi.

chi

1. who, whoever

• IPA^(key): /t͡ɕʰi/

chi

1. what?

• Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎, Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

Akin to Italian chi, from Latin quis.

chi

1. who

chi

1. Nonstandard spelling of chī.
2. Nonstandard spelling of chí.
3. Nonstandard spelling of chǐ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of chì.

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

• Audio (Jersey)

  (file)

chi m

1. Alternative form of chièr

• IPA^(key): /xi/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: chi

Onomatopoeic.

chi

1. he (expression of laughter)

Borrowed from Ancient Greek χεῖ (kheî).

chi n (indeclinable)

1. chi (Greek letter Χ, χ)

Borrowed from Mandarin 氣／气 (qì), from Middle Chinese 氣 (MC kʰɨi^H), from Old Chinese 氣 (OC *kʰɯds).

chi n (indeclinable)

1. (philosophy, pseudoscience) chi (fundamental life-force or energy)

• chi in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• chi in Polish dictionaries at PWN

chi m (plural chis)

1. (Portugal, colloquial) bear hug (any especially large, tight or enthusiastic hug)

   Synonym: chi-coração

chi m (plural chis)

1. Alternative form of qi

From Latin quid, from Proto-Italic *kʷid, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid.

• IPA^(key): /ki/

chi

1. (Limba Sarda Comuna) that

chi

1. (relative, Limba Sarda Comuna) who, whom, which (nominative and accusative case)

From a conflation of Latin quia, quod, and other conjunctions.

• IPA^(key): /ki/

chi

1. that

   Li me' amigghi dìzini chi soggu simpàtiggu

   My friends say that I'm nice

2. than

   Mégliu figlioru di la bonasorthi chi figlioru di re

   Better [to be] son of good luck than son of a king

• daghì

• che

chi

1. (relative) who, whom, which

   Lu giràniu, chi ha curori dibessi, dura umbè di tempu fioriddu

   Geraniums, which have various colors, stay in blossom for a long time

   (literally, “The geranium, which has different colors, lasts a lot of time in blossom”)

chi (invariable)

1. Used in exclamations to indicate something remarkable; some, what a

   Chi festha! ― What a party!

• Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [cɪj˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 支 (“branch; to spend”).

chi

1. (taxonomy) genus

   Synonym: giống

• (Taxonomy) phân loại sinh học; vực (“domain”) / liên giới (“domain”), giới (“kingdom”), ngành (“phylum”), lớp (“class”), bộ (“order”), họ (“family”), chi (“genus”) / giống (“genus”) , loài (“species”) ^{(Category: vi:Taxonomy)}

chi

1. to spend (money); to pay out; to disburse

Sino-Vietnamese word from 肢.

chi

1. (formal, anatomy, chiefly zoology) a limb

In everyday speech, limbs collectively are referred to as tay chân or chân tay, but there is no word for an individual limb, apart from the more specific tay (“arm”) and chân (“leg”).

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Cognate with gì (the form affected by lenition) and Muong Bi chi.

chi • (之)

1. (Central Vietnam, literary elsewhere) what; whatever

   Synonym: gì

   Mi mần chi rứa?

   What are you doing over there?

   • (Can we date this quote?) “Tình đến rồi đi [Love Comes and Goes]”, performed by Thu Thủy:

     Cuộc tình đến rồi đi. Buồn làm chi nhung nhớ làm gì.

     Love comes and goes. Why be sad? Why be tormented by it?

chi • (之)

1. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) what for

   Làm vậy chi?

   What did you do that for?

• IPA^(key): /χiː/
• Rhymes: -iː
• Homophone: ’chi

From Middle Welsh chwi, from Proto-Celtic *swīs (compare Breton c’hwi, Cornish hwi, Old Irish síi), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.

• chwi (literary)

chi

1. you (plural; polite)

• In the singular, chi is a polite form like French vous or German Sie.
• Chi is a feature of most registers of Modern Welsh, whereas very literary Welsh employs chwi.
• In certain southwestern dialects, chi is used as the indefinite personal pronoun like English you.

chi m

1. aspirated form of ci

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

chi

1. A small quantity
   • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:

     A chi of barach.

     A little barley.

• Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 30

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *tsii, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *dzəy. Cognates include Burmese အစေ့ (a.ce.).

• IPA^(key): /ci˧/

chi

1. seed

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *tsii, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-tsji.

• IPA^(key): /ci˧˩/

chi

1. salt

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 44