枝 (zhī): branch, twig
枝 (zhī) is a Chinese character meaning “branch, twig.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 木 (semantic) and 支 (phonetic). It ranks #1482 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 枝 tree. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).
Definitions
- branch, twig
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 枝 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 树枝 | shù zhī | branch |
| 橄榄枝 | gǎn lǎn zhī | olive branch |
| 枝叶 | zhī yè | branch and leaf |
| 花枝招展 | huā zhī zhāo zhǎn | lit. lovely scene of blossoming plants swaying in the breeze (idiom) |
| 枝条 | zhī tiáo | branch |
| 细枝末节 | xì zhī mò jié | minor details |
| 荔枝 | lì zhī | litchi or lychee fruit (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) |
| 枝节 | zhī jié | branches and knots |
| 枝干 | zhī gàn | branch |
| 节外生枝 | jié wài shēng zhī | (idiom) new problems arise unexpectedly |
| 枝子 | zhī zi | twig |
| 花枝 | huā zhī | spray (sprig of a plant with blossoms) |
| 分枝 | fēn zhī | branch |
| 粗枝大叶 | cū zhī dà yè | thick stems and broad leaves (idiom) |
| 枝繁叶茂 | zhī fán yè mào | (of plants) to grow luxuriantly |
枝 appears in 50 compound words: 32 as the first character, 36 as the last, and 32 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 枝 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (11)
to raise unexpected difficulties; to deliberately complicate an issue
a new branch grows out of a knot (idiom); fig. side issues keep arising
delicate and rare branches and leaves; person of royal lineage; descendants of aristocracy
to raise unexpected difficulties; to deliberately complicate an issue
a new branch grows out of a knot (idiom); fig. side issues keep arising
delicate and rare branches and leaves; person of royal lineage; descendants of aristocracy
Example Sentences
暴风雨过后，街道上到处都是折断的树枝，环卫工人正在清理。
Bàofēngyǔ guòhòu, jiēdào shang dàochù dōu shì zhéduàn de shùzhī, huánwèi gōngrén zhèngzài qīnglǐ.
After the storm, broken branches were everywhere on the streets, and sanitation workers are cleaning them up.
佳冬拜百年福厂新丁新枝 六堆运动会“周岁组”抓周爬行
jiā dōng bài bǎi nián fú hǎn xīn dīng xīn zhī liù duī yùn dòng huì zhōu suì zǔ zhuā zhōu pá háng
Jia Dong worships the centennial Fuchang Xinding Xinzhi Liudui Games "first year group" grasps the week crawl
...政治!彰化市长林世贤的父亲,在228将枪枝带离派出所背上叛变罪。
. . . zhèng zhì ! zhāng huà shì cháng lín shì xián de fù qīn , zài 2 2 8 jiāng qiāng zhī dài lí pài chū suǒ bèi shàng pàn biàn zuì .
... Politics! Changhua Mayor Lin Shixian's father was guilty of treason by taking a gun out of the police station in 228.
屏东新丁新枝祭祈福新生儿 客庄百年传统跨族群传承
bǐng dōng xīn dīng xīn zhī jì qí fú xīn shēng ér kè zhuāng bǎi nián chuán tǒng kuà zú qún chuán chéng
Pingtung Xinding Xinzhi Sacrifice to pray for newborns Hakka village's century-old tradition cross-ethnic inheritance
...爆紅—全網瘋玩「熱狗腸包X」 珍珠蝦滑楊枝甘露乜都塞
. . . bào 紅 quán 網 瘋 wán 熱 gǒu 腸 bāo zhēn zhū 蝦 huá 楊 zhī gān lù 乜 dōu sāi
... Popular - the whole network is crazy about playing "Hot Dog Sausage Bun X", pearl shrimp slippery, poplar branch nectar is stuffed with everything
母亲在我的生日蛋糕上插上了十三枝蜡烛。
Mǔqīn zài wǒ de shēngrì dàngāo shàng chāshang le shísān zhī làzhú.
My mother put thirteen candles on my birthday cake.
汤姆给了我一枝笔。
Tāngmǔ gěi le wǒ yī zhī bǐ.
Tom gave me a pen.
他割掉了树上的几根树枝。
Tā gē diào le shù shàng de jǐ gēn shùzhī.
He cut some branches off the tree.
灯笼在树枝上吊着。
Dēnglóng zài shùzhī shàngdiào zhe.
The lamp was suspended from the branch of a tree.
女孩给了我一枝红玫瑰和一枝白玫瑰。
Nǚhái gěi le wǒ yī zhī hóng méiguī hé yī zhī bái méiguī.
The girl brought me a red and a white rose.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 枝 (zhī) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 枝 and 技?
How many strokes does 枝 have?
What is the radical of 枝?
What are the components of 枝?
What are common words containing 枝?
What characters sound the same as 枝 (zhī)?
Is 枝 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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