How to Write 偈 (jì) — Meaning “Buddhist hymn; gatha”

Picture a person (亻) sitting calmly and reciting a short Buddhist poem. The right part 曷 looks like a sun (日) above a sleeping bag (匃) - imagine the monk chanting under the sun until he rests, helping you link the shape to 'gatha' (Buddhist verse).

The left radical 亻 is narrow, while the right side 曷 is wider - make sure the person radical stays small and does not extend below the bottom of 曷. The top of 曷 is 日 (sun), written with a horizontal stroke and then a left vertical, and the bottom part 匃 has a curved hook - be careful not to connect the top and bottom parts too tightly.

偈 (jì) has the right side 曷 (with 日 on top and 匃 below), meaning Buddhist verse. 侮 (wǔ) has the right side 每 (every), meaning to insult - look for the extra strokes inside 每 (like a dot and a horizontal). 侯 (hóu) has the right side 矢 (arrow) plus a small horizontal, meaning marquis - the key difference is the bottom part: 侯 ends with 矢, not 匃.

偈 is rarely used in everyday conversation; it appears mainly in Buddhist or literary contexts to refer to a short verse or hymn, often called a 'gatha'. You might encounter it in temple inscriptions, Buddhist scriptures, or classical poetry - for example, '偈子' or '佛偈' are common terms for these verses, but most learners will not need it for daily life.

Common words containing 偈 include: 偈子 (jì zi) — Buddhist verse; gatha; 佛偈 (fú jì) — Buddhist verse; 偈颂 (jì sòng) — Buddhist hymn; gatha.