息 (xī) — (bound form) rest; to cease; (bound form) breath; (bound form) news; information; interest
Definition
A bound morpheme: never used alone. Common in compounds like 休息 (rest), 消息 (news/message), and 利息 (interest). The character itself means 'rest', 'breath', or 'news/interest' depending on the word.
bound form
restto ceasebreathnewsinformationinterest
Easily confused
- 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'
- 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
- ，。Nǐ gōng zuò tài lèi le, hǎo hǎo xiū xī yí xià.You're too tired from work; get some good rest.
- 。Wǒ gāng kàn dào nǐ fā de xiāo xī.I just saw the message you sent.
- 。Cún kuǎn de lì xī yuè lái yuè dī le.The interest rate on deposits is getting lower and lower.
Origin
Appears in
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