希 (xī) — hope (bound form, as in 希望)
Definition
希 (xī) is a bound morph meaning 'hope' that almost never stands alone — it appears as the first half of the common word 希望 (xīwàng, 'hope'). On its own, use 希望 instead.
bound form
hope (bound form, as in 希望)
Easily confused
- 唏xīlook-alike(onomatopoeia/noun) sound of sobbing; sob
- 西Xīsound-alikewest; the West
- 吸xīsound-aliketo inhale, to breathe in
- 嘻xīsound-alike(interjection) an exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, or sorrow
- 兮xīsound-alike(classical Chinese modal particle) used for exclamation or rhythmic effect, similar to 'oh' or 'ah'
- 膝xīsound-alike(bound form) knee (used in compounds like 膝盖, 膝关节)
Examples
- 。Wǒ xī wàng nǐ néng lái cān jiā wǒ de shēng rì pài duì.I hope you can come to my birthday party.
- 。Tā zuì dà de xī wàng shì chéng wéi yì míng yī shēng.Her biggest hope is to become a doctor.
- 。Dà jiā dōu xī wàng shì jiè hé píng.Everyone hopes for world peace.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 爻爻yáo
- 巾巾jīncloth
希 is made from 爻 and 巾, which means cloth. How those parts connect to “hope” is not explained.
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