夕 (xī) — (bound form) dusk; evening; sunset
Definition
A literary bound form meaning 'dusk' or 'evening'. It only appears inside set compounds like 除夕 (New Year's Eve) and 朝夕相处 (day and night together) — never as a standalone word.
bound form
duskeveningsunset
Easily confused
- 歹dǎilook-alikeevil; vicious; wicked (bound form)
- 西Xīsound-alikewest; the West
- 吸xīsound-aliketo inhale, to breathe in
- 嘻xīsound-alike(interjection) an exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, or sorrow
- 兮xīsound-alike(classical Chinese modal particle) used for exclamation or rhythmic effect, similar to 'oh' or 'ah'
- 希xīsound-alikehope (bound form, as in 希望)
Examples
- 。Chú xī shì chūn jié qián zuì zhòng yào de yì tiān.New Year's Eve is the most important day before Spring Festival.
- ，。Měi tiān bàng wǎn, wǒ dōu kě yǐ kàn dào měi lì de xī yáng.Every evening I can see the beautiful sunset.
- 。Wǒ men yào zhēn xī zhāo xī xiāng chǔ de shí guāng.We should cherish the time we spend together day and night.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
夕 was drawn as a crescent moon.
Appears in
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