xīng
noun #1,269

Meanings

  1. 1 star; heavenly body
  2. 2 celebrity

Examples

Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ?
What day of the week is it?
Tiānshang yǒu hěnduō xīngxing.
There are many stars in the sky.
Tā shì yī wèi dà míngxīng.
She is a big celebrity.

Tips

usage
is essential for daily life: 星期 (week — 星期一 Monday through 星期日 Sunday), 星星 (stars), 明星 (celebrity), 卫星 (satellite), 五星 (five-star). Also in Chinese zodiac: 星座 (zodiac sign).

Components

radical
sun; day
Top depicts the sun, here standing in for 'a celestial body that shines'. The original form had three () above , picturing a cluster of starlights. The simplified shape kept just one to represent the light-emitting body in the night sky.
phonetic
shēng
to be born; grow
Bottom supplies the sound (shēng → xīng with palatal shift). also adds a touch of meaning — stars are born and rise nightly, so 'the shining things that come out () at night' captures the imagery. Same phonetic appears in (xìng), showing the regular shēng/xìng-style drift.

Stroke Order

xīng