Taxonomy of meanings for 騎:　　

  • 騎 qí (OC: ɡral MC: ɡɯiɛ) 渠羈切 平 廣韻：【説文曰跨馬也又其寄切 】
    • RIDE
      • vadNon horseback
      • viactride horses
      • vt(oN)ride on the contextually determinate object
      • vtoNride (a horse)
      • vtoNfigurativeride/straddle (constellations etc) [som other examples need to be moved here]
      • vtoNpassivebe ridden on
      • generalised>SIT
    • 騎 jì (OC: ɡrals MC: ɡɯiɛ) 奇寄切 去 廣韻：【騎乗又姓燕有騎劫又音奇 】
      • OFFICER
        • nagenthorseman; knight; riding messenger; rider; outriders

      Additional information about 騎

      說文解字: 【騎】，跨馬也。从馬、奇聲。 【渠羈切】

        Criteria
      • RIDE

        1. Qí 騎 refers typically to the riding of animals (and by extension to the straddling on cosmological entities).

        2. Chéng 乘 refers typically to the riding of vehicles (and by extension to the straddling on cosmological entities).

      • SOLDIER

        1. There is no current general word for a soldier of any rank, and the collective term for soldiers is jūn 軍 "army". See ARMY

        2. Zú 卒 and the archaic tú 徒 refer to an ordinary infantry soldier, and these footsoldiers never ride chariots.

        3. Jiǎ 甲 refers to armoured soldiers riding in carriages.

        4. Jì 騎 refers to cavalry (Han dynasty).

        5. Nǔ 弩 refers to crossbowmen.

        6. Yì 役 refers to a conscript soldier.

        7. Xiǎo rén 小人 (jūn zǐ 君子 "soldier of a higher grade") refers generically to the lower grades in the army.

        8. Shì 士 refers to officers riding chariots in battle.

        NB: Bīng 兵 "soldier" may turn out to be post-Han. I have not yet found a clear example where the word refers to a soldier.