TongTong
Sign in

洗 (xǐ) — to wash; to bathe (in 洗澡)

Definition

洗 (xǐ) is the basic verb 'to wash' — clothes, dishes, hands, hair. As a separable verb with 澡 it means 'to bathe' (洗澡); 沐浴 is a formal/literary equivalent you may see in writing.

verb
to washto bathe (in 洗澡)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 洗？
    Nǐ měi tiān xǐ jǐ cì shǒu?
    How many times do you wash your hands each day?
  • 。
    Mā ma zhèng zài xǐ yī fu.
    Mom is washing clothes.
  • 洗。
    Wǒ wǎn shàng xǐ wán zǎo jiù shuì jiào.
    After I finish washing up at night, I go to sleep.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
先
先xiān洗xǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洗 is built from 水 (water) and 先, which gives the character its sound.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2HSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHygiene & Grooming2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 2 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.