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牺

犧
xī
noun #78,410

Meanings

  1. 1 sacrifice; sacrificial animal

Examples

她为家庭牺牲了自己的事业。
Tā wèi jiātíng xīshēng le zìjǐ de shìyè.
She sacrificed her career for her family.
消防员牺牲了。
Xiāofáng yuán xīshēng le.
The firefighter gave his life.

Tips

usage
Almost always used in 牺牲 (xīshēng) = to sacrifice / to give one's life. Rarely appears alone.

Components

radical
牛 niú
ox; cattle (left-side form 牜)
Ox radical on the left (left-side form 牜 with bottom-stroke slanted up), the indexing component. The traditional 犧 already used 牛 — sacrifices in ancient ritual were cattle, sheep, and pigs, with ox the highest grade. Same radical groups 牺 with 牲 and 牢.
phonetic
西 xī
west
Right side 西 xī is a simplified phonetic. The traditional 犧 had a much more elaborate right side (羲), but the 1956 reform swapped in 西 for a far cleaner shape. Sound match is exact — same syllable, same tone. Treat as sound key only; no 'west' carryover.

Stroke Order

牺 xī