积

• Pinyin: jī
• Hanzi breakdown: 禾 = grain radical (five-stroke plant); 只 = 口 + 八 (simplified component)

Meaning

To accumulate; to pile up; to store. Indicates a gradual build-up of matter, liquid, emotion, or problems over time.

Functions as a verb in classical and formal contexts, often appearing in four-character idioms. Implies a slow, gradual process of accumulation, especially when something reaches a critical threshold.

Examples

1. 雨水在地势低洼的街道上积了半米深，居民无法正常出行。 Rainwater pooled half a meter deep on low-lying streets, making it impossible for residents to get around normally.
2. 多年的委屈在她心中积得太深，终于在那个夜晚决堤而出。 Years of resentment had built up too deeply in her, and it finally burst out like a breached dam that night.
3. 积土成山，积水成渊，持之以恒方能成就大业。 Pile up earth and you get a mountain; collect water and you get a deep pool—only persistence can achieve great things.

Usage Guide

Context: literary, formal writing, idioms

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 问题若长期积而不解，最终必将演变为更棘手的社会矛盾。(If problems accumulate without being resolved over time, they will inevitably develop into more difficult social contradictions.)
• 仓库里的滞销货物已经积了好几个月，必须尽快安排清仓处理。(Unsold goods in the warehouse have been piling up for several months and need to be cleared out as soon as possible.)

Don't Say

• 我要积更多的钱 — use 积蓄/存 instead; 积 as a standalone verb for saving money sounds archaic and unnatural in modern speech

Origin & History

禾 (grain) + 只 — originally depicting grain accumulated in a granary

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal