Chinese Characters

欺

PINYIN

qī

Main meanings:

①deceive, cheat.

②bully.

HSK - 6

STROKES - 12

RADICAL - 欠

Etymology:
Elements ---- Lack 欠 (an open mouth) + basket 其. Phonetic series 其.

To lack 欠 that 其. That 其 is the victim offered in the sacrifice. In Old China the meat of sacrificial victims were usually shared between the people who attended a ceremony. Therefore to lack his share of the meat it was to cheat, bully a member. There were ways to exclude members of the community of their sharing, as deciding that only men can attend a ceremony, or that the meat must be eaten on the spot and not carried home. Usually sacrificial meat was the only meat consumed by farmers.

Main Words:
①deceive, cheat.

欺骗 qīpiàn cheat; dupe.

②bully.

欺侮 qīwǔ bully; humiliate.
欺负 qīfu browbeat; pick on.

Discussion and sources

The meanings of this character are the same in most of the dictionaries. In China it was considered that in a ceremony the smoke feed ancestors and spirits, while the meat, something vulgar, could be consumed by the people. In small communities after the sacrifice the meat must be evenly distributed for each family to take its share. In the past the only chance to eat meat it was the sacrificial meat offered in ceremonies and festivals. To deprive a person of his or her share was a big problem.

The picture shows the sharing of meat during the main festival of the Naxi nationality of Southwest China.

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