How to Write 凄 (qī) — Meaning “desolate; chilly”

Picture a wife (妻) standing alone in freezing weather (冫), shivering and feeling desolate. This sad, cold image links the two parts to the meaning of 'desolate' and 'chilly'. The scene is unforgettable and directly ties to the character's components.

When writing 凄, keep the left radical 冫 small and compact—it is just two dots, not a full stroke. The right part 妻 must be balanced: the top horizontal is short, and the vertical stroke goes straight down. A common mistake is making the left side too big or connecting the two dots like a single line.

凄 (qī) means desolate and chilly, often describing emotions or scenes. 冼 (xiǎn) means to wash and has a different right part (先). 冽 (liè) means bitterly cold physically, like icy air, but lacks the emotional sadness of 凄. Visually, 凄 has 妻 on the right, while 冼 has 先 and 冽 has 列.

凄 is used in modern Chinese to describe sad, miserable, or tragically beautiful situations, often in literature or poetry. Common words are 凄凉 (desolate and lonely) for a ruined place, and 凄美 (poignantly beautiful) for a sad love story. It carries a strong emotional and artistic tone, not just physical coldness.

Common words containing 凄 include: 凄凉 (qī liáng) — desolate; miserable; 凄惨 (qī cǎn) — miserable; tragic; 凄美 (qī měi) — poignantly beautiful; tragic and beautiful.