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喜

xǐ
verb #3,124

Meanings

  1. 1 to like; to be fond of
  2. 2 happy; joyful
  3. 3 wedding; happy event

Examples

我喜欢吃中国菜。
Wǒ xǐhuan chī Zhōngguó cài.
I like eating Chinese food.
恭喜恭喜！
Gōngxǐ gōngxǐ!
Congratulations!
他们的婚礼办得很喜庆。
Tāmen de hūnlǐ bàn de hěn xǐqìng.
Their wedding was very festive.

Tips

usage
喜 is used in: 喜欢 (to like), 恭喜 (congratulations), 喜事 (happy event), 喜剧 (comedy), 惊喜 (surprise), 欢喜 (joyful). 双喜 (double happiness) 囍 is a famous symbol used at Chinese weddings.
culture
The double happiness character 囍 (shuāngxǐ) - two 喜 side by side - is the iconic symbol of Chinese weddings. You'll see it on red decorations, invitations, and wedding gifts everywhere.

Components

radical
口 kǒu
mouth; opening
Bottom indexing radical - a mouth opened wide, here laughing or shouting. Together with the drum above, the whole character is a compound ideograph: drums beating + mouths open = a public celebration. From that came the modern senses: like, take pleasure in, happy, joyful, and by extension 'happy event' (wedding, birthday).
semantic
壴 zhù
drum on a stand
Top 壴 - a pictograph of a drum mounted on a stand: 士-like top is the drumhead with lashings, the middle is the drum body, the bottom 一 is the platform. In ancient festivals a drum was struck to mark joyful occasions, the public marker of a happy event.

Stroke Order

喜 xǐ