谢 (xiè) — to thank; to wither (of flowers, leaves, etc.); to decline (a request, invitation, etc.) politely
Definition
谢 covers several polite or natural-process actions: to thank, to decline politely (as in 谢绝), and the natural withering of flowers/leaves. In modern spoken Chinese, the thank sense is most common.
verb
to thankto wither (of flowers, leaves, etc.)to decline (a request, invitation, etc.) politely
Easily confused
- 榭xièlook-alikewaterside pavilion; terrace pavilion (in classical Chinese gardens)
- 卸xièsound-aliketo unload, to offload (cargo, goods)
- 屑xièsound-alike(bound form) fragments, scraps, shavings
- 蟹xièsound-alikecrab
- 泄xièsound-aliketo leak out, to discharge (liquid, gas, electricity)
- 泻xièsound-aliketo have diarrhea; to purge (bowels)
Examples
- 。Wǒ dài biǎo quán jiā gǎn xiè nín.On behalf of the whole family, I thank you.
- ，谢。Qiū tiān dào le, huā dū xiè le.Autumn has come, and the flowers have all withered.
- 。Tā xiè jué le duì fāng de yāo qǐng.He politely declined the other party's invitation.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 謝; 谢 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 謝 pairs 言 (word; speech) with 射, which gives the sound. The simplified 谢 is a written form of this character.
Appears in
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