次 (cì) means "times, next, inferior" with 6 strokes, radical 欠 (lack), HSK 2 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: times
Other meanings:
- next
- inferior
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle bone and bronze forms of 次 show a kneeling or standing person with two short strokes near the mouth, generally interpreted as drops of saliva or breath being expelled. The traditional reading is that it depicts someone yawning, sighing, or sneezing, a meaning later taken over by the derived character 佽 or the unrelated 嚏. Some scholars instead read the two strokes as ice (冫), treating the character as phono-semantic.
Form evolution
Bronze and seal forms clearly separate the two-stroke element on the left from the 欠 (a person with open mouth) on the right. Clerical script regularised the left element into the two-stroke 冫 shape seen today, though historically it was not the ice radical. Modern 楷书 has kept this structure with no simplification difference between traditional and simplified scripts.
How the meaning evolved
The earliest attested meaning relates to stopping or pausing, from which came the idea of a temporary lodging and then of sequence or order, as in 次序 (order) and 其次 (next in order). From sequence it developed into the measure word for occurrences, so 三次 means three times. A separate branch gave the sense of second-rate or inferior, as in 次品 (substandard goods).
Cultural note
The phrase 三番五次 literally stacks 三 and 五 with 次 to mean repeatedly, over and over again. Learners often stop at the measure-word sense and are surprised to meet 次 as an adjective meaning poor quality in compounds like 次等.
Mnemonic
Ice-cold yawning — once more, a time
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 | cì |
| Meanings | times, next, inferior |
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 欠 (#76: lack) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #124 most common |
Example sentences
我去过北京三次。
Wǒ qùguo Běijīng sān cì.
I've been to Beijing three times.
From 次 (HSK 2)
首先要努力，其次要坚持。
Shǒuxiān yào nǔlì, qícì yào jiānchí.
First you must work hard, secondly you must persist.
From 其次 (HSK 4)
这是次要问题，不是主要问题。
Zhè shì cìyào wèntí, búshì zhǔyào wèntí.
This is a secondary issue, not the main one.
From 次要 (HSK 7-9)
Words containing 次
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 次 | cì | times | HSK 2 |
| 其次 | qícì | Secondly | HSK 4 |
| 次要 | cìyào | secondary | HSK 7-9 |
| 层次 | céngcì | layer, level | HSK 6 |
| 初次 | chūcì | for the first time | |
| 次品 | cìpǐn | substandard products | HSK 7-9 |
| 次日 | cìrì | next day, the following day | HSK 7-9 |
| 次数 | cìshù | number of times | HSK 6 |
| 次序 | cìxù | sequence, order | HSK 7-9 |
| 档次 | dàngcì | grade, level | HSK 7-9 |
| 多次 | duōcì | many times, repeatedly |
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 2 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.