戏 (xì) — (noun) drama; play; show (especially theatrical performance); (noun) trick; scheme; game (as in 把戏)
Definition
戏 (xì) covers two senses: a staged show (play/drama) and a trick or scheme (as in 把戏, 别跟我玩戏). Compare 戏剧, the formal word for drama as an art form, and 戏曲, Chinese traditional opera.
noun
dramaplayshow (especially theatrical performance)trickschemegame (as in 把戏)
Measure word · 出, 场, 台
Examples
- 場戏。Tā zuó tiān kàn le yì chǎng xì.He watched a show yesterday.
- 戏。Zhè chū xì yǎn dé hěn jīng cǎi.This play was performed wonderfully.
- 戏。Bié gēn wǒ wán xì.Don't play tricks on me.
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 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
䖒
䖒䖒戲xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
In the traditional form 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.
Appears in
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