jié

桀

Character · Noun · Adjective

tyrant king of Xia; archaic variant of outstanding

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 5 examples
1.

noun

name of the last ruler of the Xia Dynasty; legendary tyrant

Refers specifically to King Jie of Xia (reputedly r. 1728–1675 BCE), the decadent last ruler of the Xia Dynasty, often paired with Zhou of Shang as archetypes of tyranny.

Jié桀
shì是
Xià夏
cháo朝
de的
zuìhòu最
yī后
wèi一
jūnzhǔ位
yǐ君
cánbào主
 ，
zhùchēng以
 残
 暴
 著
 称
 。

Jie was the last ruler of the Xia Dynasty, notorious for his cruelty.

Shāng商
Tāng汤
qǐbīng起
dǎbài兵
le打
Jié败
jiànlì了
le桀
 ，
Shāng建
cháo立
 了
 商
 朝
 。

Tang of Shang raised an army, defeated Jie, and established the Shang Dynasty.

Show 1 more example
Lìshǐ历
shàng史
cháng上
jiāng常
Jié将
yǔ桀
Zhòu与
bìngliè纣
wèi并
bàojūn列
de为
diǎnxíng暴
 君
 的
 典
 型
 。

In history, Jie and Zhou are often cited together as the archetypes of tyrannical rulers.

2.

adjective

outstanding; eminent; heroic (archaic variant of 杰/傑)

archaic

Classical usage found in pre-Qin and Han texts, now obsolete in modern Mandarin outside of set historical phrases or specific literary contexts.

Jié桀
chū出
zhī之
shì士
 ，
shì世
suǒ所
hǎn罕
jiàn见
 。
 （
gǔ古
yì义
 ）

Eminent men of outstanding talent are rarely seen in the world. (archaic usage)

Jié桀
xióng雄
 （
zhǐ指
cáinéng才
chūzhòng能
de出
rén众
gǔ的
yì人
 ，
 古
 义
 ）

A heroic figure of outstanding ability (archaic term).