己

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self; oneself; sixth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]; sixth in order; letter "F" or Roman "VI" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc; hexa

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HSK 3.0: Level 2
Old HSK: Level 3
Strokes: 3
Radical: 己 itself
Structure: Top–bottom 上下
Traditional: 己
Common rank: #1,028
Unicode: U+5DF1

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 己 is formed

Pictograph (象形字)

A loom woven with thread

Components 乚 ? unknown part

How to remember it

self · Heisig RSH #515

— as a component also called: snake

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 己

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
自己动手	zì jǐ dòng shǒu	to do (sth) oneself; to help oneself to
事不关己，高高挂起	shì bù guān jǐ , gāo gāo guà qǐ	to feel unconcerned and let matters rest (idiom)
利己主义	lì jǐ zhǔ yì	egoism
回家吃自己	huí jiā chī zì jǐ	(coll.) (Tw) to get sacked; to be fired
事不关己	shì bù guān jǐ	a matter of no concern to oneself (idiom)
人在江湖，身不由己	rén zài jiāng hú , shēn bù yóu jǐ	(proverb) you can't always do as you like; one has to compromise in this world
自己人	zì jǐ rén	those on our side; ourselves; one's own people; one of us
爱人如己	ài rén rú jǐ	love others as self
视同己出	shì tóng jǐ chū	see 視如己出\|视如己出[shi4 ru2 ji3 chu1]
视如己出	shì rú jǐ chū	to regard someone else's child as one's own
求人不如求己	qiú rén bù rú qiú jǐ	if you want sth done well, do it yourself (idiom)
不以物喜，不以己悲	bù yǐ wù xǐ , bù yǐ jǐ bēi	not to become attached to material things, not to pity oneself
与人方便，自己方便	yǔ rén fāng biàn , zì jǐ fāng biàn	Help others, and others may help you (idiom).
若要人不知，除非己莫为	ruò yào rén bù zhī , chú fēi jǐ mò wéi	If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it (idiom). fig. If you do something bad, peopl…
体己话	tī ji huà	intimate or heartfelt words; heart-to-heart talk
安分守己	ān fèn shǒu jǐ	to be content with one's lot (idiom); to know one's place
视为知己	shì wéi zhī jǐ	to consider sb as close friend (idiom); to take into one's confidence
损人不利己	sǔn rén bù lì jǐ	to harm others without benefiting oneself (idiom)
克己复礼	kè jǐ fù lǐ	restrain yourself and return to the rites (idiom, from Analects); to subdue self and obser…
威福自己	wēi fú zì jǐ	to exercise power arbitrarily (idiom)

Sound family

These characters use 己 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
己 sound part	jǐ	self, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem
起	qǐ	to begin, to initiate; to rise, to stand up
配	pèi	to blend, to mix; to fit, to match
纪	jì	discipline, age; period, era; record, annal
忌	jì	jealous, envious; to fear; to shun
杞	qǐ	willow, medlar tree; a small feudal state
岂	qǐ	what; how
芑	qǐ	white millet
圮	pǐ	destroyed, ruined; to injure; to subvert
屺	qǐ	a grassy knoll; a barren knoll