惜 (xī) — (bound form) to cherish, to value; (bound form) to spare, to grudge, to feel sorry for
Definition
惜 (xī) is a bound morpheme meaning 'to cherish/value' (珍惜, 爱惜) or 'to feel sorry/grudge' (可惜, 不惜). It never stands alone — pair it with a prefix to form a verb, often a literary tone.
bound form
to cherishto valueto spareto grudgeto feel sorry for
Examples
- 。Tā fēi cháng zhēn xī zhè fèn yǒu yì.He cherishes this friendship very much.
- ，。Zhè me wǎn le, kě xī nǐ míng tiān yào zǒu.It's so late, what a pity you have to leave tomorrow.
- 。Wǒ men yīng gāi ài xī shí jiān.We should treasure time.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
惜 has 忄, the heart, and 昔, which gives the sound. 昔 also points to the past or an ending, so the feeling is about something past.
Appears in
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