岐

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

山 (산) — semantic component meaning “mountain” or “hill.”

支 (지탱할 지) — phonetic component, giving the sound qí and suggesting branching or division.

Thus, the character depicts a mountain with branching paths — a place where roads split or diverge.

岐路 (기로) — crossroads; figuratively, a moment of choice or dilemma

分岐 (분기) — to branch, to diverge

岐山 (기산) — Mount Qi (birthplace of the Zhou dynasty)

歧視 (기시) — discrimination (lit. “to treat paths differently”)

岐黃 (기황) — “Qi and Huang” — shorthand for medicine and healing, from the legendary physicians 岐伯 and 黃帝

岐山 (Mount Qi) located in modern Shaanxi Province, 岐山 is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of the Zhou dynasty.

It is where King Wen of Zhou (周文王) is said to have received Heaven’s Mandate (天命), marking the moral foundation of Zhou rule.

周之興也，始於岐山。

“The rise of Zhou began at Mount Qi” — Records of the Grand Historian (史記).

Because of this, 岐山 came to symbolize origin, renewal, and rightful order — a sacred site of political virtue.

Philosophical metaphor “岐路” (Crossroads)

In Confucian and Daoist literature, 岐路 often serves as a metaphor for moral choice — the point at which one’s path in life divides.

人生在岐路，慎擇其道。

“When life stands at a crossroads, choose the Way with care.”

Here, 岐 carries the dual implication of diversity and discernment —

the coexistence of multiple possible ways (道) and the need for wisdom to choose rightly.

In Chinese medical tradition, 岐伯 (기백) is the name of a legendary physician and minister to the Yellow Emperor (黃帝), credited as a contributor to the foundational text 黃帝內經 (Huangdi Neijing, “The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor”).

Hence, the expression 岐黃 (“Qi and Huang”) collectively refers to the healing arts or traditional Chinese medicine.