Chinese Character: 居
1. Character Basics
Radical: 尸/shī (表示人体)
Stroke Count: 8
Stroke Order:
2. Pronunciation
Pinyin: jū (first tone)
3. Meaning
live, reside, dwell, house, occupy, be in a certain position
4. Common Words
- 居住 (jū zhù) - live, reside
- 居民 (jū mín) - resident, inhabitant
- 居家 (jū jiā) - stay at home, household
- 居然 (jū rán) - unexpectedly, surprisingly
- 邻居 (lín jū) - neighbor
- 居中 (jū zhōng) - in the middle, center
5. Grammar & Usage
As a verb: 居住在上海 (live in Shanghai)
As an adjective: 居民楼 (residential building)
In the structure "居...之中": 居首位 (rank first)
As an adverb in 居然: 他居然来了 (He came unexpectedly)
Common collocations: 居住环境 (living environment), 居民生活 (residents' lives)
6. Cultural Background
The character reflects the importance of housing and stability in Chinese culture
Traditional Chinese philosophy emphasizes finding one's proper place ("居其所")
The concept of "安居乐业" (ān jū lè yè) - living in peace and working happily
In feng shui, the arrangement of one's residence is considered very important
Many idioms use 居 to express states of being or positions
7. Example Sentence
Chinese: 他们居住在北京。
Pinyin: Tāmen jūzhù zài Běijīng.
Translation: They live in Beijing.
8. Memory Tips
The character 居 consists of 尸 (shī - corpse, body) and 古 (gǔ - ancient)
Think of an ancient way of housing or living
The character has 8 strokes
Remember the common phrase 居住 (jū zhù) which means "to live"
The radical 尸 is often found in characters related to the body or human habitation