嬉 (xī) — (bound form) to play, to frolic, to sport (literary)
Definition
A literary bound morpheme meaning 'play / frolic' — almost always embedded in compounds like 嬉戏, 嬉笑, 嬉闹 rather than used alone.
bound form
to playto frolicto sport (literary)
Easily confused
- 嘻xīlook-alike(interjection) an exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, or sorrow
- 西Xīsound-alikewest; the West
- 吸xīsound-aliketo inhale, to breathe in
- 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)
- 膝xīsound-alike(bound form) knee (used in compounds like 膝盖, 膝关节)
Examples
- 。Hái zi men zài cǎo dì shàng xī xì.The children were playing on the grass.
- ，。Tā tīng dào xiào hua hòu, liǎn shàng lù chū le xī xiào.After hearing the joke, a playful smile appeared on her face.
- 。Gōng yuán lǐ chōng mǎn le hái zi men de xī nào shēng.The park was filled with the sound of children playing.
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.
嬉 has 女 on the left and 喜 on the right; the 喜 part gives the sound and means joy.
Appears in
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