子嗣 (zǐ sì) — (formal/literary) male offspring, son (as heir or lineage continuer)

Definition

A formal, literary term for 'male offspring' — specifically a son who continues the family line. Unlike everyday 儿子, it emphasizes lineage and inheritance, often in legal or historical contexts.

noun
(formal/literary) male offspringson (as heir or lineage continuer)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 子嗣。
    Gǔ dài dì wáng fēi cháng zhòng shì zǐ sì de chuán chéng.
    Ancient emperors placed great importance on the continuation of male offspring.
  • ，子嗣。
    Tā jiā sān dài dān chuán, zhǐ yǒu zhè yí gè zǐ sì.
    His family has had only one son per generation for three generations.
  • 子嗣。
    Zhè fèn yí zhǔ míng què guī dìng le zǐ sì de jì chéng quán.
    This will clearly stipulates the inheritance rights of male offspring.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

子zǐson
嗣sìheir; successor

子 (son) and 嗣 (heir) together mean male offspring.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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kǒumouth
冊冊cèdocument
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī嗣sì
Same sound today

The 口 (mouth) and 冊 (document) in 嗣 show appointing a successor by speech and documents, while 司 gives the sound.

Open 嗣 →

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