chi

Clipping of English Chinese.

chi

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

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Chinese terms

Ancient Greek alphabet

← phi		→ psi
Χ χ Ancient Greek: χεῖ
Wikipedia article on chi

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

• khi

• IPA^(key): /kaɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ

chi (plural chis)

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

• chi distribution
• chi-square

• (Greek-script letter names) alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega

From the Mandarin 氣／气 (qì) from the Wade–Giles romanization: chʻi⁴, from Middle Chinese 氣 (MC khj+jH), 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/
• enPR: chē

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

chi (usually uncountable, plural chis)

2. (philosophy, mysticism) A life force in traditional Chinese philosophy, culture, medicine, etc, related (but not limited) to breath and circulation.
   • [1987, “ch'i”, in Encyclopedia Britannica‎^[2], 15th edition, volume 3, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, 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.

   • 2013 April 2, David Tanis, “Hurry Up, Spring”, in The New York Times‎^[3], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 April 2013, Dining & Wine‎^[4]:

     At the greenmarket, it’s still mostly potatoes and apples. There are no tender greens, fava beans, peas, asparagus, artichokes, sorrel, rhubarb or early strawberries.
     Those harbingers of the season are said to be full of chi, or qi, the Chinese word for life force. We’re craving them as we’re craving lighter, brighter-tasting meals, food that is greener and fresher.

   • 2017 January 8, Leslie Hsu Oh, “I tried the Chinese practice of ‘sitting the month’ after childbirth”, in The Washington Post‎^[5], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 January 2017, Health & Science‎^[6]:

     According to traditional Chinese medicine, blood carries chi, your “life force,” which fuels all the functions of the body. When you lose blood, you lose chi, and this causes your body to go into a state of yin (cold). When yin (cold) and yang (hot) are out of balance, your body will suffer physical disorders.

• ch'i, ki
• qi (Hanyu Pinyin)

• chi kung

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

• chih, ch'ih

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃə/
• enPR: chœ

• Audio (Southern England):

  (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

• IPA^(key): /tʃi/

chi

1. water

• J. Diego Quesada (2012), Gramática del Buglere [A grammar of Buglere], Editorial Universitaria Abya-Yala, page 33
• Bolaños Villalobos, Isabel Cristina (2022), Glosario de la lengua Buglere [Glossary of the Buglere language]‎^[7], Editorial Universitaria Abya-Yala, →ISBN, page 14

• chy (Standard Cornish)
• chei (Revived Late Cornish)

From Proto-Brythonic *tɨɣ, from Proto-Celtic *tegos, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg-. Cognate with Breton ti, Irish teach, Manx thie, çhagh, Scottish Gaelic taigh, and Welsh tŷ.

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

chi m (plural chiow)

1. house

yn chi

1. at home

From Ancient Greek χεῖ (kheî).

• IPA^(key): /xi/

• Audio; [χij]:

  (file)

chi m or f (plural chi's, diminutive chi'tje n)

1. chi (letter of the Greek alphabet)

• chi on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

chi

1. H-system spelling of ĉi

• চি

From Proto-Bodo-Garo *tɯi¹ (“water”), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-turʔ (“water; fluid; liquid; river; to soak; to spit”). Cognate with Atong (India) tyi (“water”), Kokborok twi (“water”).

chi

1. water

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

chi

1. grandfather

chi

1. not

chi

1. (Kabayan) dialectal form of shi

• IPA^(key): /ki/^*

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: chi

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

chi m or f (invariable) (interrogative pronoun)

1. who, whom; whoever

   Chi viene qui? ― Who goes there?

   Con chi vengono? ― Who are they coming with?

   Chi stiamo ascoltando? ― Who(m) are we hearing?

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

chi m sg or f sg by sense (fused relative, indefinite)

1. he/she/they who, those who, the ones who; (archaic) whom

   La mamma bacia chi è bravo/a ― Mom kisses those who are brave.

   Amo solo chi mi ama ― I only love the ones who love me.

   Chi si scusa s'accusa. ― He who apologizes assumes his blame.

2. (absolute) whoever, who

   Vènga chi può. ― Come who can.

   Chi lo dicesse mentirebbe. ― Whoever said that would be lying.

3. (when repeated) some, ... others, etc.

   Chi leggeva, chi chiacchierava, chi disegnava. ― Some would read, some were chatting, others drawing.

4. (with a subjunctive)

   Chi mi domandasse ciò, non risponderei. ― If one were to ask me that, I would not answer.

   Cerco chi mi dia un buon consiglio. ― I am looking for someone who'd give a good advice.

• chi is a fused relative pronoun, meaning that its antecedents are comprised within its own meaning, it may either appear as a direct object or as a stand-alone subject. When expressing simple relativity, che or cui are used instead: "L'uomo che ti ha visto." not "L'uomo chi ti ha visto.".
• This pronoun may only refer to animates in the singular, it can be replaced by either colui che or quello che, which also have a plural.
• As an indefinite, chi will often be translated with a plural in English: "Vènga chi può", "Come who can" or "May those who can come, come".

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. The hiragana syllable ち (chi) or the katakana syllable チ (chi) in Hepburn romanization.

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃʰiː/

chi

1. and
2. that
3. in

• Christenson, Allen J. (2003), Kʼicheʼ-English dictionary and Guide to the pronunciation of the Kʼicheʼ-Maya alphabet‎^[8], Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, →OCLC

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

Akin to Italian chi, from Latin quis.

chi

1. who

Cognate with Lai chuih

chi

1. to kick

• Brandy, Anthony (February 2026), “Interactions between directionals, TAM marking, and Aktionsart in Hnaring Lutuv (Lautu) Chin”, in Indiana Working Papers in South Asian Languages and Cultures‎^[9], volume 4, number 1, →DOI

chi

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

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

• Audio (Jersey):

  (file)

chi m

1. alternative form of chièr

• IPA^(key): /ˈxi/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: chi

Onomatopoeic.

chi

1. he (expression of laughter)

Learned borrowing 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 khj+jH), from Old Chinese 氣 (OC *kʰɯds).

chi n (indeclinable)

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

• “chi”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[10] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “chi”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[11] (in Polish)

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

• “chi”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “chi”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

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

From sí.

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃi/ [ˈt͡ʃi]
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: chi

chi

1. (childish) synonym of sí (yes)

   Antonym: ño

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [cɪj˧˧]

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

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

chi

1. (taxonomy) genus

   Synonym: giống

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”).

From Proto-Vietic *ciː (“what”). 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

   Chi?

   For what?

   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

From Middle English chaye.

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃai̯/ (spelled chy)^[1]

chi

1. A small quantity.^[2]

   Synonym: smaddereen

   • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:

     A chi of barach.

     A little barley.

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

• IPA^(key): [t͡ʃí]
• Hyphenation: chi

chí

1. body

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *tsii. Cognates include Mizo chì.

• IPA^(key): [t͡ʃì]
• Hyphenation: chi

chì

1. salt

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *tshim.

• IPA^(key): [t͡ʃì]
• Hyphenation: chi

chì (stem II chì)

1. (transitive) to say
2. (transitive) to tell

• Philip Thangliènmâng (2010), Minimal dictionary and Self-tutor Functional Grammar in Zo-English-Hindi, New Delhi: Zoculsin, →ISBN, page 19; 25; 81
• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou (PhD thesis), Canchipur: Manipur University, page 44