Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 支 | zhī | /ʈ͡ʂɻ̩⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡sɹ̩⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
| 樹枝 / 树枝 | shùzhī |
While 支 can mean a branch, it is more commonly used as a measure word for long, thin objects or to mean a branch of an organization. For the specific woody part of a tree, 树枝 is the most common and natural way to refer to it. In professional contexts, different terms are used depending on the type of organization: 支行 or 分行 refers to a bank branch, while 分店 refers to a branch of a company or a store.
What does it mean word for word?
The compound 树枝 consists of 树, meaning tree and 枝, meaning branch.
Which one should you use?
支 can mean a branch or a support, but it is frequently used as a measure word for long, thin objects. For a physical tree branch, use 树枝. In the context of organizations, use 分店 for stores or companies and 分行 or 支行 for banks.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the term 分署 is used to refer to a branch office of a government agency or a subordinate government department.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zhī.
Did you know?
- In the 'Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches' system of ancient Chinese calendars, the 'Branches' 支 are used to track time and years.
- The character 支 originally depicted a hand holding a branch. Over time, this image shifted from a physical object to representing a 'support' or a 'division'.
- While 树枝 refers to the physical branch, the character 枝 is also used in the word 枝节, which can mean 'details' or 'trivialities' in a story.
Examples in context
- 请问这家餐厅有分店吗?Excuse me, does this restaurant have any branches?
Example conversation
Zihan and Zhiqiang are gardening in the backyard.
- 梓涵 Zihan志强，快来看看这个。Zhìqiáng, kuài lái kànkan zhège.Zhiqiang, come look at this quickly.
- 志强 Zhiqiang怎么了？有什么问题吗？Zěnme le? Yǒu shéme wèntí ma?What's wrong? Is there a problem?
- 梓涵 Zihan这支树枝挡住路了。Zhè zhī shùzhī dǎngzhù lù le.This branch is blocking the path.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没关系，我把它剪掉。Méi guānxì, wǒ bǎ tā jiǎndiào.No problem, I will prune it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “branch” translations and entries 支, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
