p8nda
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牺

犧
xī
noun #78,410

Meanings

  1. 1 sacrifice; sacrificial animal

Examples

HSK 6
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.
HSK 6
消防员牺牲了。
Xiāofáng yuán xīshēng le.
The firefighter gave his life.

Tips

usage
Almost always used in 牺牲 = 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 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