寄

The core concept is deposition: placing an object, message, or oneself in a location that is not a permanent home.

• Transmission: Sending or transmitting via a third party or system. This includes the abstract projection of internal states (e.g., emotions or spirit) onto external objects or poems.
• Temporary Residence and Reliance: To lodge, dwell as a guest, or reside temporarily in a place not owned by the subject. By extension, to rely on or depend upon another's care.

• Transitive: [Subject] 寄 [Object] ("Send/transmit X").
• Locative: When referring to residence, it takes a location as its object: 寄 [Place] ("Lodge at / stay in X").

• 寄 vs. 送 (sòng): //Sòng// often involves physical accompaniment or personal delivery; //jì// emphasizes the process of transmission and the separation of the sender from the object.
• 寄 vs. 託 (tuō): While both can mean "entrust," //tuō// focuses on the commitment, request, or agency of the person being asked, whereas //jì// focuses on the act of deposition.

In early strata of text, the sense of "dwelling/lodging" is primary. The specialized meaning of postal transmission became more dominant as formal administrative systems evolved.

In literary contexts, the "lodging" sense often signals alienation or nostalgia; if the tone is melancholic, //jì// may imply that the subject is a stranger or living in exile rather than simply staying in a location.