弑 (shì) — to murder (one's superior or parent); regicide, patricide
Definition
Classical, bound verb used only in literary or historical contexts to mean 'murder a superior' — a king (弑君, regicide) or a parent (弑父/弑母). It is not used for ordinary killing (杀).
bound form
to murder (one's superior or parent)regicidepatricide
Easily confused
- 轼shìlook-alikehandrail at the front of a carriage/chariot (in ancient China)
- 是shìsound-aliketo be (linking verb, followed by a noun or noun phrase)
- 拭shìlook-aliketo wipe (literary; bound form, used in compounds)
- 事shìsound-alikething; matter; affair
- 试shìlook-aliketo try; to test
- 室shìsound-alikeroom (often as a suffix in compound words)
Examples
- 。Lì shǐ shàng duō cì fā shēng shì jūn shì jiàn.In history, regicide events occurred many times.
- 。Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi yǔ shì fù wú yì.This behavior is no different from patricide.
- 弑。shì Mǔ shì jí qí yán zhòng de zuì xíng.Matricide is an extremely serious crime.
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 弒; 弑 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
殺殺shāto kill
The traditional form 弒 shows 殺 (to kill) beside 式 as a sound part; the simplified 弑 is a later abbreviation.
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