志 (zhì): ambition, will
志 (zhì) is a Chinese character meaning “ambition, will.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 士 (structural) and 心 (structural). It ranks #542 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 志 the mind 心 of a scholar 士; 士 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 心 (heart) appears in many related characters such as 忘 (wàng, to forget), 想 (xiǎng, to think, to want), 爱 (ài, to love).
Definitions
- ambition, will
Etymology & Origin
ideographicThe mind 心 of a scholar 士; 士 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿱士心 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 志 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 志
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 同志noun | tóng zhì | comrade |
| 意志noun | yì zhì | will |
| 日志noun | rì zhì | journal |
| 神志noun | shén zhì | consciousness |
| 杂志社noun | zá zhì shè | magazine publisher |
| 斗志noun | dòu zhì | will to fight |
| 志愿noun | zhì yuàn | aspiration |
| 标志性noun | biāo zhì xìng | iconic |
| 志同道合 | zhì tóng dào hé | (idiom) to be devoted to a common cause |
| 志趣noun | zhì qù | inclination |
| 志向noun | zhì xiàng | ambition |
| 壮志noun | zhuàng zhì | great goal |
| 志气noun | zhì qì | ambition |
| 专心致志phrase | zhuān xīn zhì zhì | (idiom) single-minded |
| 立志verb | lì zhì | to be determined |
志 appears in 100 compound words: 16 as the first character, 56 as the last, and 28 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 志 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (23)
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Qing Dynasty collection of Chinese supernatural tales)
to indulge in what one likes and lose one's sense of purpose; infatuation saps the will
Showing 12 of 23 idioms containing 志.
Example Sentences
他从小就立志成为一名医生，帮助更多的人。
Tā cóngxiǎo jiù lìzhì chéngwéi yì míng yīshēng, bāngzhù gèng duō de rén.
He has aspired to become a doctor since childhood to help more people.
林志杰谈家人泪崩30秒!黄金世代队友齐聚 揭...
lín zhì jié tán jiā rén lèi bēng 3 0 miǎo ! huáng jīn shì dài duì yǒu qí jù jiē . . .
Lin Zhijie talked about his family and burst into tears for 30 seconds! Golden generation teammates gather to unveil...
PLG》林志杰退休倒数计时盼再拚一冠!谈家人罕见感性...
P L G lín zhì jié tuì xiū dǎo shǔ jì shí pàn zài 拚 yī guàn ! tán jiā rén hǎn jiàn gǎn xìng . . .
PLG" Lin Zhijie's retirement countdown is looking forward to another championship! Talking about the rare sensibility of the family...
她退货国家地理杂志服饰“控被肉搜IG” 业者回应了
tā tuì huò guó jiā dì lǐ zá zhì fú shì kòng bèi ròu sōu I G yè zhě huí yīng le
She returned National Geographic magazine clothing "accused of being searched by meat IG" The industry responded
...谈间谍通过“垃圾桶交接加密手机”:国安同志说..
. . . tán jiān dié tōng guò lā jī tǒng jiāo jiē jiā mì shǒu jī guó ān tóng zhì shuō . .
... Talking about spies handing over encrypted cell phones through "trash cans": Comrade National Security said...
青春志愿行 温暖糖球会——青岛公交2路青年党团...
qīng chūn zhì yuàn háng wēn nuǎn táng qiú huì qīng dǎo gōng jiāo lù qīng nián dǎng tuán . . .
Youth Volunteering and Warming Sugar Ball - Qingdao Public Transportation No.2 Youth Party Group...
你有订阅任何杂志吗？
Nǐ yǒu dìngyuè rènhé zázhì ma?
Do you subscribe to any magazines?
如果我是同志那又怎样？这能构成犯罪吗？
Rúguǒ wǒ shì tóngzhì nà yòu zěnyàng? zhè néng gòuchéng fànzuì ma?
And if I were gay, would that be a crime?
自我怀疑是聪明的第一标志。
Zìwǒ huáiyí shì cōngming de dìyī biāozhì.
To have doubts about oneself is the first sign of intelligence.
晶体管的发明标志着一个新时代的开始。
Jīngtǐguǎn de fāmíng biāozhì zhe yī gè xīnshídài de kāishǐ.
The invention of the transistor marked a new era.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 志 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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