Dictionary › 自

自

zì

HSK 3 Character

What 自 means

1. bound formself; oneself
2. from; since
3. naturally; as a matter of course

Example sentences

• 请自重。
  Qǐng zìzhòng.
  Please conduct yourself with dignity.
• 自己做！
  Do it yourself!
• 我来自中国
  Wǒ láizì Zhōngguó
  I'm originally from China.
• 有点自尊。
  Yǒudiǎn zìzūn.
  Respect yourself.
• 自作自受。
  Zìzuòzìshòu.
  It serves you right.
• 好自大啊！
  Hǎo zìdà ā!
  How arrogant!

Words starting with 自

• 自己zì jǐoneself; (attributive) one's own
• 自行车zì xíng chēbicycle; bike
• 自然zì ránnature; natural; naturally
• 自由zì yóufreedom; liberty; free; unrestricted
• 自动zì dòngautomatic; voluntarily
• 自从zì cóngsince (a time); ever since
• 自信zì xìnto have confidence in oneself; self-confidence
• 自觉zì juéto realize; to be aware of; to feel that; to be conscious of (sth relating to oneself)…
• 自豪zì háoproud (of one's achievements etc)
• 自愿zì yuànvoluntary
• 自私zì sīselfish; selfishness
• 自主zì zhǔto act independently; to be autonomous; to be in control of one's own affairs
• 自卑zì bēito have low self-esteem; to abase oneself
• 自发zì fāspontaneous
• 自我zì wǒthe self; oneself; self-; (psychology) ego
• 自力更生zì lì gēng shēngregeneration through one's own effort (idiom); self-reliance
• 自满zì mǎncomplacent; self-satisfied
• 自身zì shēnitself; oneself; one's own
• 自杀zì shāto kill oneself; to commit suicide; to attempt suicide
• 自称zì chēngto call oneself; to claim to be; to profess
• 自在zì zaicomfortable; at ease
• 自学zì xuéself-study; to study on one's own
• 自行zì xíngvoluntary; autonomous; by oneself
• 自家zì jiāoneself; one's own family

Words containing 自

• 来自lái zìto come from (a place); From: (in email header)
• 亲自qīn zìpersonally; in person; oneself
• 各自gè zìeach; respective; apiece
• 擅自shàn zìwithout permission
• 私自sī zìprivate; personal; secretly; without explicit approval
• 独自dú zìalone
• 出自chū zìto come from
• 大自然dà zì ránnature (the natural world)
• 不由自主bù yóu zì zhǔ(idiom) can't help but; involuntarily
• 暗自àn zìinwardly; to oneself; secretly
• 发自fā zìto evolve from
• 情不自禁qíng bù zì jīn(idiom) cannot refrain from; cannot help; cannot but
• 源自yuán zìto originate from
• 晚自习wǎn zì xíscheduled evening self-study period; evening study hall
• 喃喃自语nán nán zì yǔto mumble to oneself
• 顺其自然shùn qí zì ránto let nature take its course (idiom)
• 兀自wù zì(literary) still; yet
• 无地自容wú dì zì róng(idiom) ashamed and unable to show one's face
• 径自jìng zìwithout leave; without consulting anyone
• 朱自清Zhū Zì qīngZhu Ziqing (1898-1948), poet and essayist
• 沾沾自喜zhān zhān zì xǐimmeasurably self-satisfied
• 李自成Lǐ Zì chéngLi Zicheng (1605-1645), leader of peasant rebellion at the end of the Ming Dynasty
• 独立自主dú lì zì zhǔindependent and autonomous (idiom); self-determination; to act independently…
• 马自达Mǎ zì dáMazda, Japanese car make (derived from name Matsuda 松田); also known as 万事得

Characters built on 目

These share the phonetic component 目 (mù), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 眯míto blind (as with dust); Taiwan pr. mǐ
• 睇dì(literary) to cast a sidelong glance; (dialect) to see; to look at
• 睨nìto look askance at
• 眦zì(anatomy) corner of the eye; canthus
• 睥pìused in 睥睨; Taiwan pr. bì
• 眙yíused in 盱眙
• 眵chī(bound form) sleep (dried mucus in the corner of the eye)

Characters that look like 自

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 白báiwhite; snowy; pure
• 当dāng(onomatopoeia) dong; ding dong (bell)
• 负fùto bear; to carry (on one's back); to turn one's back on
• 岛dǎoisland
• 良liánggood; very; very much
• 贞zhēnchaste

Sounds the same

Read zì, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 字letter; symbol; character
• 渍to soak; to be stained; stain
• 恣to abandon restraint; to do as one pleases; comfortable (dialect)
• 眦(anatomy) corner of the eye; canthus
• 胔rotten meat; bones of dead animal
• 剚erect; stab
• 牸female of domestic animals
• 胾cut meat into pieces; diced meat
• 扻to strike; to run against; to throw, as a stone