舍 (shě): to give up; to abandon

Meanings

1 to give up; to abandon
2 to part with
3 to give alms

Characters

舍

shě

to give up; to abandon

Examples

我舍不得离开。

Wǒ shěbude líkāi.

I can't bear to leave.

他舍弃了一切去救别人。

Tā shěqì le yíqiè qù jiù biérén.

He gave up everything to save others.

Tips

usage

The shě reading is the verb 'to give up': 舍弃 (to abandon), 舍不得 (to be reluctant to part with), 取舍 (to choose what to keep). The separate reading shè means 'residence', as in 宿舍 (dormitory).

Components

radical

舌 shé

tongue (here: hut body)

The lower section is shaped like 舌 (the indexing radical, Kangxi 135) but historically depicts the post-and-wall body of a hut, not a tongue. With the roof above, the whole graph reads 'small dwelling', the source of the 'lodge, shed' senses; the 'give up, abandon' sense extends from leaving a temporary shelter behind.

pictograph

人 rén

person; roof

Top forms a clear peaked-roof shape, a recognizable architectural cover above the post-and-wall structure below. The same roof silhouette caps 今, 介, and 全, signalling shelter or cover. As a whole the character pictures a small thatched hut: peaked roof on top, walls beneath.