*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of chi

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

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

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

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "chī"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin chī"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "χεῖ"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek χεῖ (kheî)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "chī",
      "chi#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "χεῖ",
      "χεῖ#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The twenty-second letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 152645
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A life force in traditional Chinese philosophy, culture, medicine, etc, related (but not limited) to breath and circulation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (force)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "氣"
      },
      "expansion": "氣/气 (qì)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-wadegiles",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Wade–Giles"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ltc",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ltc-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "氣",
        "id": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "氣 (MC khj+jH)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "och",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "och-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "氣",
        "2": "breath, vapor",
        "id": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "氣 (OC *kʰɯds, “breath, vapor”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ja",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "気",
        "2": "き"
      },
      "expansion": "気(き) (ki)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ko",
        "2": "기(氣)"
      },
      "expansion": "Korean 기(氣) (gi)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "vi",
        "2": "khí"
      },
      "expansion": "Vietnamese khí"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "氣",
      "氣#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "气",
      "气#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "氣",
      "氣#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "氣",
      "氣#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "breath",
      "breath"
    ],
    [
      "vapor",
      "vapor"
    ],
    [
      "気(き)",
      "気#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "기(氣)",
      "기#Korean"
    ],
    [
      "khí",
      "khí#Vietnamese"
    ],
    [
      "氣",
      "氣#Vietnamese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A life force in traditional Chinese philosophy, culture, medicine, etc, related (but not limited) to breath and circulation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "356843e16025267f3d243e17caba84bfe5f2744771b14a441c4899fa5ff3e639",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 152646
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

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

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention尺cmn
  • Doublet mentioncheken
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (unit)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "尺",
        "tr": "chǐ"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 尺 (chǐ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "chek"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of chek"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pinyin",
      "pinyin"
    ],
    [
      "尺",
      "尺#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "chek",
      "chek#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The Chinese foot, a traditional Chinese unit of length based on the human forearm.",
        "The Chinese unit of length standardized in 1984 as ¹/₃ of a meter.",
        "The Taiwanese unit of length standardized as ¹⁰/₃₃ of a meter, identical to the Japanese shaku.",
        "The chek or Hong Kong foot, a unit of length standardized as 0.371475 meters."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually",
        "Mainland-China",
        "Taiwan",
        "Hong-Kong"
      ],
      "recordId": "d7be817facc6a572225703689f7572eb43cf550741a8fa5927891bbe1af9a3f6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9f06db0f3771655b653211f42f0ad323b2903d51f23b102e34aa5b20fc0a4178",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 152647
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for chi →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2hp