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施舍 (shī shě) — to give alms; to give charity

Definition

施舍 (shīshě) means giving alms or money to the poor, often with the nuance of looking down on the recipient. It carries a stronger sense of condescension than neutral 捐赠 (donate).

verb
to give almsto give charity

Examples

  • 施舍。
    Tā měi gè yuè dōu huì shī shě yì xiē qián gěi qióng rén.
    He gives some money to the poor every month.
  • 施舍，。
    shī shě Bù zhǐ shì wù zhì shàng de bāng zhù, yě shì jīng shén shàng de guān huái.
    Charity is not only material help but also spiritual care.
  • 施舍，。
    Tā zǒng shì mò mò de shī shě, cóng bù zhāng yáng.
    She always gives charity quietly and never shows off.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

施shīgive
舍shègive up

施 means to give and 舍 means to give up, so the sense is giving alms.

Characters in this word

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
㫃㫃㫃
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě施shī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

施 pairs 㫃, the part connected to its meaning, with 也, the part giving its sound.

Open 施 →

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kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú舍shè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

舍 is 余 plus 口. 余 was the original picture for this word, and 口 was later added to distinguish it.

Open 舍 →
Appears in
Society & Public Life

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