How to Write 济 (jǐ/jì) — Meaning “to cross a river; to aid; to relieve”

Imagine you are trying to cross a river (氵) and you line up all the people neatly (齐) to help them get across safely. The sound 'jǐ' is like 'gee' as in 'gee-up', urging everyone to move together.

The left radical 氵 should be narrow and tall, with the three dots slightly curved. The right part 齐 has a horizontal stroke at the top that should not be too long, and the two vertical strokes inside must be balanced. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the middle vertical line in 齐.

济 (jǐ) uses 齐 on the right and means 'to aid' or 'to cross a river'. 㳄 (xián) has 欠 (yawn) on the right and means 'saliva' or 'to drool', and is extremely rare. 汧 (qiān) has 开 (open) on the right and was an ancient river name in China; it is not used in modern vocabulary.

济 appears in common words like 经济 (jīng jì, economy) and 救济 (jiù jì, relief or financial aid). It is also used in the idiom 济济一堂 (jǐ jǐ yī táng), which describes a large gathering of talented or distinguished people. You will often see it in news about economics or charity.

Common words containing 济 include: 救济 (jiù jì) — relief; financial aid; 经济 (jīng jì) — Economy or economics; 济济一堂 (jǐ jǐ yī táng) — A large gathering of distinguished people..