xiū
verb #3,125

Meanings

  1. 1 to rest; to take a break
  2. 2 to stop; to cease
  3. 3 don't (classical)

Examples

Wǒmen xiūxi yīxià ba.
Let's take a break.
Tā zài xiūjià.
He is on vacation.
Tuìxiū yǐhòu zuò shénme?
What will you do after retirement?

Tips

usage
is used in many common compounds: 休息 (to rest), 休假 (to take leave), 退休 (to retire), 休闲 (leisure). The character combines (person) + (tree) — a person resting under a tree.

Components

radical
rén
person (radical form)
Left indexing person radical — a standing figure leaning against the tree on the right. Pure compound ideograph: a tired traveller stops by a tree to rest, the seed of 'rest, cease, leisure'. Common in compounds where a person stands by something else: (you), (he), (body), (trust).
semantic
tree; wood
Right tree — the natural resting spot. The classic ideographic reading of : leaning on = a person taking shade beneath a tree. One of the cleanest two-element ideographs in the script and a perfect mnemonic: when you see + together, think 'rest under the tree'.

Stroke Order

xiū