唏嘘 (xī shī) — to sigh, to sob (literary)

Definition

A literary verb meaning to sigh and sob with feeling, usually over something sad or bittersweet — written/literary tone, not everyday speech.

verb

to sighto sob (literary)

Easily confused

，唏嘘。
Tā zhàn zài chuāng qián, bù tíng dì xī shī bù yǐ.
He stood by the window, sighing and sobbing without stopping.
，唏嘘。
Huí yì qǐ wǎng shì, tā bù jīn xī shī gǎn tàn.
Recalling the past, she couldn't help sighing and lamenting.
，唏嘘。
Tīng dào zhè ge bēi shāng de xiāo xi, zhòng rén xī shī liú lèi.
Hearing this sad news, everyone sobbed and shed tears.

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

“唏” and “嘘” together form a literary word for sighing or sobbing; the characters do not carry separate meanings here.

Sound-only characters

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

口希唏

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

希

Same sound today

唏 combines 口 (mouth) with 希, which is used for its sound.

Most 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 噓; 嘘 is its simplified writing.

口虛噓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

虛

虛xū噓xū

Same sound today

The traditional form 噓 combines 口, showing the mouth, with 虛 for sound and a sense of emptiness. The simplified 嘘 is a later shorthand.