xiǎng
verb HSK 7-9 #10,618

Meanings

  1. 1 to enjoy
  2. 2 to benefit from

Examples

Xiǎngshòu shēnghuó.
Enjoy life.
Xiǎngyǒu quánlì.
To enjoy rights.

Tips

usage
享受 (to enjoy) is one of the most common compounds.

Components

radical
tóu
lid radical (Kangxi #8)
Top lid radical — a horizontal stroke over a dot, the abstract 'cap' that sits on many characters. Indexes in the lid family with capital, tall, bright, pavilion. Originally the top of depicted the roof of an ancestral shrine where offerings were laid out for the spirits.
semantic
kǒu
mouth; opening
Middle — here not a mouth but the body of the shrine, the small enclosed sanctuary where the offering was placed. With the lid above and a vessel below, the picture is of a sacrificial hall ready to receive the gift, giving its core meaning: to offer, then to enjoy.
semantic
child; son
Bottom — modern stylisation of what was originally a low-stand or pedestal supporting the offering. The shape was reanalysed as (child) in later script reform, but it carries no live 'child' meaning here. The full picture: a roofed shrine resting on a stand, the venue of ancestral feasting.

Stroke Order

xiǎng