兮

xī

particle #3,527

Meanings

1 (literary particle, used in poetry)
2 (exclamatory particle in classical Chinese)

Characters

兮

xī

exclamatory particle (classical)

Examples

路漫漫其修远兮。

Lù mànmàn qí xiū yuǎn xī.

The road ahead is long and winding. (Qu Yuan)

大风起兮云飞扬。

Dàfēng qǐ xī yún fēiyáng.

A great wind rises, clouds fly and scatter. (Liu Bang)

Tips

history

兮 is an exclamatory particle from classical Chinese, famously used by the poet 屈原 (Qū Yuán) in his work 离骚 (Lísāo). It adds rhythm and emotion to verse.

兮 is archaic and only appears in classical poetry, literary quotations, or deliberately poetic modern writing. It is not used in everyday speech.

Components

radical

八 bā

eight; split

Top indexing 八 - originally a divider or split-shape, here picturing the breath being parted as it leaves the throat. Anchors 兮 in the Kangxi #12 family. The two short divergent strokes set up the rising air visually, ready to release the long sigh below.

ideograph

丂 kǎo

obstructed breath; sigh

Bottom 丂 - an ideograph of breath rising and curling at the top, the icon for an exclamatory exhalation. Together with 八 above, the whole character pictures parted breath drawn out long, exactly the function of the classical sigh-particle 兮 in lines like 风萧萧兮易水寒. Pure literary use.

Stroke Order

兮 xī

兮