verb #17,142

Meanings

  1. 1 to cherish
  2. 2 to pity
  3. 3 to spare

Examples

Wǒmen yào zhēnxī shíjiān.
We should cherish our time.
Tài kěxī le!
What a pity!

Tips

usage
Common in 珍惜 (zhēnxī, to treasure) and 可惜 (kěxī, what a pity).

Components

radical
xīn
heart (radical form of 心)
Heart radical on the left — side form of , three strokes preserving the side of the chest. Carries the meaning of : cherishing, treasuring, and feeling sorry-over are all matters of the heart. Sits with 怀 long-for, pity, careful, ashamed — the broad inventory of feelings written with the upright heart marker.
phonetic
former times; past (here phonetic)
Right side supplies the sound directly — same xī with no shift. originally pictured stacked flood-waters with the sun, meaning 'former times, days of old', and that flavour of looking back fondly faintly reinforces the meaning of cherishing what is precious. Same phonetic in borrow, wrong, wax — all xī or xī-adjacent readings.

Stroke Order