享

xiǎng
verb HSK 7-9 #10,618

Meanings

  1. 1 to enjoy
  2. 2 to benefit from

Examples

HSK 3
Xiǎngshòu shēnghuó.
Enjoy life.
HSK 5
Xiǎngyǒu quánlì.
To enjoy rights.

Tips

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

Components

radical
亠 tóu
lid radical (Kangxi #8)
Top lid radical - a horizontal stroke over a dot, the abstract "cap" that sits on many characters. Indexes 享 in the lid family with 京 capital, 高 tall, 亮 bright, 亭 pavilion. Originally the top of 享 depicted the roof of an ancestral shrine where offerings were laid out for the spirits.
semantic
口 kǒu
mouth; opening
Middle 口 - 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 享 its core meaning: to offer, then to enjoy.
semantic
子 zǐ
child; son
Bottom 子 - modern stylisation of what was originally a low-stand or pedestal supporting the offering. The shape was reanalysed as 子 (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

享 xiǎng