后嗣 (hòu sì) — descendant, offspring (formal/literary)

Definition

Literary/formal term for 'descendants' — refers to future generations of offspring, not the speaker's peers. Used in writing, legal texts, and historical contexts like imperial succession or genealogy.

noun
descendantoffspring (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 后嗣。
    Huáng dì dān xīn méi yǒu hòu sì jì chéng huáng wèi.
    The emperor worried he had no descendant to inherit the throne.
  • ，后嗣。
    Tā sǐ hòu, suǒ yǒu cái chǎn yóu hòu sì píng jūn fēn pèi.
    After his death, all property was equally divided among his descendants.
  • 后嗣。
    Zhè piān jiā pǔ xiáng xì jì zǎi le gè dài hòu sì de míng zì.
    This genealogy book records in detail the names of descendants from each generation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

后hòudescendant
嗣sìheir

"后" and "嗣" both refer to descendants or heirs, so together they mean offspring or posterity.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
冊冊cèdocument
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī嗣sì
Same sound today

The 口 (mouth) and 冊 (document) in 嗣 show appointing a successor by speech and documents, while 司 gives the sound.

Open 嗣 →

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