ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
结
to tie; knot; to conclude
jié
9 strokes · 纟 (silk) + 吉 (auspicious, sound) · HSK 3
结 in traditional Chinese
結
What 结 is made of
纟 + 吉 = 结
纟silk (side form)
吉auspicious
Where 结 comes from
Silk 纟 tied into an auspicious 吉 knot. Before writing, Chinese tradition says people 结绳记事 — knotted cords to record events. Tying became joining, joining became concluding.
结 in Chinese culture
结婚 marry (tie the knot — same metaphor as English!), 结果 result (the fruit that forms), 结束 finish. The Chinese knot 中国结 hangs red in doorways every New Year.
Example
结婚 jiéhūn — to marry
他们明年结婚。
Tāmen míngnián jiéhūn.
They're getting married next year.
How to remember it
SILK tied in a lucky KNOT — to TIE, to JOIN, to CONCLUDE.
结果 read jiēguǒ (1st tone) means 'to bear fruit' literally; read jiéguǒ it's the abstract 'result' — one word, botanical and logical.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 结
结婚 jiéhūn
to marry
结果 jiéguǒ
result
Related characters
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