HSK 5 · Sport

象棋 xiàngqí “Chinese chess” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 象棋 means

  1. Chinese chess

Measure word 副 fù · 一副象棋 yí fù xiàngqí

How to say 象棋

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale象xiàng4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale棋qí2nd tone, rising

象棋 in a sentence

  1. 我们下象棋吧。

    Wǒmen xià xiàngqí ba.

    Let’s play Chinese chess.

    Sentence #10333118 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  2. 没有人想和我下象棋。

    Méiyǒu rén xiǎng hé wǒ xià xiàngqí.

    Nobody wants to play Chinese chess with me.

    Sentence #10524038 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  3. 你要是想学的话我可以教你下象棋。

    Nǐ yàoshi xiǎng xué dehuà wǒ kěyǐ jiāo nǐ xià xiàngqí.

    If you’d like to learn, I can teach you to play Chinese chess.

    Sentence #10283287 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 象棋 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 象 (xiàng) with each of its parts in a different colour
象xiàngelephant
  • ⺈knife form of 刀 · dāo
  • 口mouth · kǒu
  • 豕pig · shǐMeaning part
The character 棋 (qí) with each of its parts in a different colour
棋qíchess
  • 木tree · mùMeaning part
  • 其his · qíSound part

木 hints at the meaning (tree); 其 (qí) hints at the sound. Compare it with qí.

How to write 象棋

象 11 strokes · 棋 12 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

象棋 (xiàngqí) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 象棋 (xiàngqí). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 象棋

Words with 象

印象yìnxiàng · impression对象duìxiàng · target想象xiǎngxiàng · to imagine抽象chōuxiàng · abstract大象dàxiàng · elephant现象xiànxiàng · phenomenon象征xiàngzhēng · emblem形象xíngxiàng · image气象qìxiàng · meteorology迹象jìxiàng · sign

More words: Sport & Leisure

胜利shènglì · victory太极拳tàijíquán · tai chi (taijiquan)武术wǔshù · martial arts夏令营xiàlìngyíng · summer camp业余yèyú · spare-time游览yóulǎn · to go sightseeing娱乐yúlè · to entertain裁判cáipàn · referee

FAQs

象棋 (xiàngqí) means “Chinese chess”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it xiàngqí: xiàng with a 4th tone, then qí with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 象棋 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Use 副 (fù). For example, one Chinese chess is 一副象棋 (yí fù xiàngqí).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xiangqi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 象棋 from the suggestions. Typing xiangqi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
象棋 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.