Chi was born in Mohe County, Heilongjiang in February 1964. Her father, Chi Zefeng (迟泽凤), was the president of a local school. Chi Zijian was named after his father's idol Cao Zijian, a poet and prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period.
Chi entered Daxing'anling Normal College (大兴安岭师范学校) in 1981 and she started to publish novels in 1983.
In 1988, Chi was accepted to Northwest University, majoring in writing. One year later, she attended Beijing Normal University and Lu Xun Literary Institute.
In 1990, Chi joined the Heilongjiang Writers Association.
Her novel, Last Quarter of the Moon, was published in 2005, which won the Mao Dun Literary Prize in 2008.
Chi won the Lu Xun Literary Prize in 1996, 2000, and 2007