机 (jī) means "machine, opportunity" with 6 strokes, radical 木 (tree), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: machine
Other meanings:
- opportunity
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
机 in its modern simplified form has no ancient pictographic origin, since it is the post-1956 simplification of 機. The traditional 機 is a phono-semantic compound with 木 (wood) as the semantic element and 幾 as the phonetic. The simplified form reuses an older, rare character 机 (a small wooden table), repurposing it as a shorter graph for 機.
Form evolution
Traditional 機 appears in seal script with 木 on the left and a complex 幾 on the right, which itself combined 幺幺 over 戍. Clerical script regularised the strokes but kept the compound structure. The 1950s simplification replaced 幾 with the much simpler 几, giving the modern 机 with only six strokes.
How the meaning evolved
The original 機 referred to the trigger mechanism of a crossbow, a small wooden device, then extended to any mechanism, loom, or ingenious contrivance. From mechanism it generalised to machine, opportunity, and the critical moment when something is set in motion, as in 机会 (opportunity) and 危机 (crisis). Modern compounds such as 飞机 (airplane) and 手机 (mobile phone) apply the machine sense to new technology.
Cultural note
The idiom 随机应变 (suí jī yìng biàn), adapt to changing circumstances, uses 机 in its older sense of a decisive moment or turning point rather than a physical machine. Learners often assume 机 always means machine and miss this opportunity sense in compounds like 机遇 and 机灵.
Mnemonic
A wooden device with small table — machine
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | jī |
| Meanings | machine, opportunity |
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 木 (#75: tree) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #119 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 机
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 机 | jī | machine, opportunity | |
| 手机 | shǒujī | mobile phone | HSK 1 |
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport | HSK 2 |
| 飞机 | fēijī | airplane | HSK 1 |
| 司机 | sījī | Driver | HSK 3 |
| 机会 | jīhuì | Opportunity | HSK 3 |
| 照相机 | zhàoxiàngjī | Camera | |
| 登机牌 | dēngjīpái | Boarding pass | |
| 机器 | jīqì | machine | HSK 5 |
| 不失时机 | bùshīshíjī | seize the opportune moment | |
| 乘机 | chéngjī | to take advantage of, by plane | |
| 动机 | dòngjī | motive, intention | HSK 6 |
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.