chỉ

See also: Appendix:Variations of "chi"

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [cɪj˨˩˦]

• Audio (Hồ Chí Minh City)

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *cis (“thread”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ks(i)ʔ or *ksih (“string; cord; rope; thread”). Compare North Central Vietnamese chỉn, Muong chỉl.

Alternative forms

• (North Central Vietnam) chỉn

Noun

(classifier sợi) chỉ • (帋, 黹, 紙, 䊼, 𥿗)

1. (sewing) thread

Derived terms

• cắn chỉ (mouth stained)
• gạch chỉ (a kind of brick)
• giun chỉ (Wuchereria bancrofti)

 

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 只.

Adverb

chỉ

1. only

Etymology 3

From Proto-Vietic *cih (“to point”); probably related to Sino-Vietnamese word from 指 (“finger”).

Verb

chỉ • (扯, 扺, 指)

1. to point
   • 2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Cánh đồng bất tận" chapter 2 (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house

     Chị hỏi "Tắm ở đâu, mấy cưng ?". Tôi chỉ xuống kinh.

     She asked, "Where can I bathe, sweethearts?" I pointed down the canal.

   Synonym: trỏ

Derived terms

• ám chỉ (to imply; refer to)
• chỉ bảo (to advise)
• chỉ dẫn (to instruct)
• chỉ đạo (to guide)
• chỉ điểm (to point out)
• chỉ định (to assign)
• chỉ giáo (to counsel)
• chỉ giới (boundary)
• chỉ huy (to conduct)
• chỉ lệnh (a command)
• chỉ nam (a guide)
• chỉ số (index)
• chỉ tay năm ngón (to conceitedly point fingers)
• chỉ thị (to instruct)
• chỉ thiên (skyward)
• chỉ tiêu (quota)
• chỉ trích (to criticize)
• chỉ trỏ (to point at)
• chỉ vẽ (to explain)
• điểm chỉ (to make a fingerprint)
• kim chỉ nam (compass)
• ớt chỉ thiên (facing heaven pepper)
• phiếm chỉ (to refer generally)

 

Etymology 4

Sino-Vietnamese word from 止.

Verb

chỉ

1. (in compounds) to stop; to end
2. (in compounds, Buddhism) Samatha; tranquility

Derived terms

• cấm chỉ (to forbid)
• chỉ quán (samatha and vipassana)
• cơ chỉ (foundation)
• đình chỉ (to suspend)
• giáo chỉ (doctrine)

 

Etymology 5

Sino-Vietnamese word from 紙 (“paper”).

Noun

chỉ

1. (colloquial) Clipping of tín chỉ (“college credit”).

Derived terms

• chứng chỉ (certificate)
• tín chỉ (college credit)

 

Etymology 6

Sino-Vietnamese word from 址.

Noun

chỉ

1. (in compounds) site; location

Derived terms

• di chỉ (a ruin)
• địa chỉ (address)
• văn chỉ (Confucian temple)

 

Etymology 7

Sino-Vietnamese word from 旨.

Noun

chỉ

1. (in compounds) imperial decree; government order

Derived terms

• chỉ dụ (imperial edict)
• chỉ ý (decree)
• chiếu chỉ (imperial edict)
• lệnh chỉ (imperial edict)
• sắc chỉ (imperial edict)
• thánh chỉ (imperial edict)
• tôn chỉ (mission)

 

Etymology 8

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

chỉ

1. (chiefly gold or silver trading) a weight unit equal to 3.75 grams

Etymology 9

Contraction of chị + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

Pronoun

chỉ

1. (Southern Vietnam) she; her

Etymology 10

Sino-Vietnamese word from 趾.

Noun

chỉ

1. (in compounds) toe

Derived terms

• Giao Chỉ

 

Etymology 11

Sino-Vietnamese word from 枳.

Noun

chỉ

1. trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata)

Derived terms

• chỉ thực (an orange herb)
• chỉ xác (an orange herb)
• chò chỉ (Parashorea chinensis)

 

Etymology 12

Sino-Vietnamese word from 芷.

Noun

chỉ

1. (in compounds) angelica; type of iris

Derived terms

• bạch chỉ (Angelica dahurica)

 

Etymology 13

Sino-Vietnamese word from 咫.

Noun

chỉ

1. Unit of measurement used in the Zhou dynasty

See also

• Obsolete terms: bài chỉ (a tax card under French rule)