袭

襲
xí
verb #6,569

Meanings

  1. 1 to attack
  2. 2 to raid
  3. 3 to strike

Examples

HSK 6
Bàofēngyǔ xí lái le.
The storm struck.
HSK 6
Dírén fādòng le tūxí.
The enemy launched a surprise attack.

Tips

usage
袭 is often used in compounds: 袭击 (attack), 突袭 (surprise raid), 侵袭 (to invade). On its own it has a literary feel.

Components

radical
衣 yī
clothing; garment
Garment radical on the bottom - the indexing semantic. 衣 pictures a robe with collar and sleeves. The original 襲 meant a layered burial robe, hence 'wear over', 'inherit', and by extension 'fall upon, raid'. The clothing radical preserves that core: 袭 is at heart about something layered or covering, even when used for a stealth attack.
phonetic
龙 lóng
dragon (here phonetic, simplified)
Top - 龙, the simplified form of 龍 (dragon). In the traditional 襲 the top was 龖 (two stacked dragons), conveying 'overlapping' or 'doubled garments', from which came the meanings 'inherit/pass down' and 'attack by surprise' (the layering of an ambush). Simplified 袭 keeps a single 龙 carrying the lóng → xí phonetic loan.

Stroke Order

袭 xí