技艺

• Pinyin: jì yì
• Hanzi breakdown: 技 = 扌+ 支 (hand + branch — manual skill); 艺 = 艹 + 乙 (grass growth through bending — cultivation, art)

Meaning

Skill; artistry; craft. Expertise and mastery developed through sustained practice in a particular discipline, trade, or art form, implying both technical competence and artistic refinement.

Used for traditional crafts, performing arts, culinary skills, and skilled professions. 传统技艺 (traditional skills) is a common collocation in cultural heritage discourse. Implies years of dedicated cultivation.

Examples

1. 这位老工匠倾尽一生磨砺漆器技艺，将这门古老的传统手工艺完整地传承了下来。 The master craftsman spent his entire life honing his lacquerware skills, passing this ancient traditional craft down intact.
2. 精湛的烹饪技艺并非一朝一夕所能掌握，需要长年累月的反复实践与悉心钻研。 Exceptional cooking skill can’t be mastered overnight; it requires years of repeated practice and careful study.
3. 她的舞台表演技艺已经达到炉火纯青的境界，每一个细节都令观众叹为观止。 Her stage performance skills have reached a level of pure mastery—every detail leaves the audience in awe.

Usage Guide

Context: arts, craftsmanship, culture, performance

Tone: appreciative

Do Say

• 政府出台了一系列扶持政策，旨在保护和传承那些面临失传危险的传统民间技艺，使其在现代社会中焕发新的生命力。(The government has introduced a series of support policies aimed at protecting and passing on traditional folk skills that face the risk of being lost, so that they may take on new vitality in modern society.)
• 这名年轻工匠凭借精湛的木雕技艺在国际传统手工艺博览会上一举摘得金奖，为本国工艺传承赢得了广泛的国际声誉。(This young artisan won the gold award at the International Traditional Handicrafts Expo with his outstanding wood-carving skills, earning widespread international recognition for his country's craft heritage.)

Don't Say

• 技艺 vs 技能 — 技艺 carries an artistic connotation and implies mastery through long practice; 技能 is more functional and professional. Do not use 技艺 in job descriptions or CVs where 技能 is more appropriate

Origin & History

技 (technique/skill) + 艺 (art/craft)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal