Chinese Character Wiki
奚

xī

where? what? how? why?

Original meaning: 

slave

Depicts a hand holding a rope tied to a slave. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components
爫 iconic component

爫  Iconic component

zhǎo

  

hand, claw

爫 is a component form of 爪. Depicts a hand.

幺 iconic component

幺  Iconic component

me, yāo

  

tiny

Depicts a rope.

大 iconic component

大  Iconic component

dà, dài

  

big

Depicts a person.

Evolution

奚 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
奚 Bronze script Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
奚 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
奚 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
奚 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

奚  

xī

where? what? how? why?; servant; (literary) what?; where?; why?

奚  

Xī

surname Xi

Most common words with 奚
Freq.
Word
Meaning

奚落

to taunt

奚

where?

奚啸伯

Xi Xiaobo (1910-1977), Beijing opera star, one of the Four great beards 四大鬚生|四大须生

Component uses

Sound component in 8 characters (2 verified)

雞 鞵 溪 谿 蹊 鼷 徯 鷄

Historical pronunciation

Old Chinese

Middle Chinese

Pinyin

Gloss

*[g]ˤe (dial. for 何 *[g]ˤaj?)

hej

xī

why, what

*[g]ˤe

hej

xī

slave, servant


Statistics

Not found in HSK word list

3395th most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

10

Unicode

U+595A

Shuowen

“奚，大腹也。从大，省聲。，籀文系字。”


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