qǐ

岂

Character · Adverb · Proper noun · AdjectiveTraditional豈

rhetorical interrogative; surname

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

3 senses · 7 examples
1.

adverb

used for rhetorical questions; how could; how dare

literary

Used exclusively in formal and literary written Chinese, never in daily spoken Mandarin.

Qǐ岂
yǒu有
cǐ此
lǐ理
 ！
Tā他
jìng竟
rán然
zuò做
chū出
zhè这
zhǒng种
shì事
 。

How could this be! He actually did such a thing.

Rú如
cǐ此
ér而
yǐ已
 ，
Qǐ岂
yǒu有
tā他
zāi哉
 ？

That's all there is to it; could there be anything else?

Show 3 more examples
Qǐ岂
gǎn敢
dāng当
cǐ此
zhòng重
rèn任
 ，
wǒ我
néng能
lì力
bù不
zú足
 。

How dare I take on such an important role? I lack the ability.

Zhè这
děng等
bēi卑
liè劣
xíng行
jìng径
 ，
Qǐ岂
róng容
gū姑
xī息
 ？

How can we tolerate such despicable behavior?

Qǐ岂
bù不
wén闻
gǔ古
rén人
yún云
 ：
 “
Wēn温
gù故
ér而
zhī知
xīn新
 ”
 ？

Have you not heard the ancient saying: 'Review the past to gain new insights'?

2.

proper noun

surname Qi

A rare Chinese surname.

Qǐ岂
xiān先
sheng生
shì是
wǒ我
de的
dà大
xué学
dǎo导
shī师
 。

Mr. Qi is my college advisor.

3.

adjective

same as 恺; same as 凯

archaic

An archaic variant usage, no longer used in modern standard Mandarin.

Gǔ古
yuè乐
zhōng中
Qǐ豈
rán然
zhī之
yīn音
 ，
biǎo表
dá达
hé和
lè乐
zhī之
yì意
 。

In ancient music, the harmonious tones expressed a sense of joy and harmony.