HanziGuru.息 · xī
息
xī[xi1]Tone 1

breath, rest, news, interest

HSK 1
Guru Deep Dive

English · breath, rest, news, interest

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Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:10
Writing Balance Rule: The top component (zì, self) sits compactly on top of the bottom component (xīn, heart), maintaining balanced vertical symmetry without letting either part dominate.
1. Meaning

breath or respiration

to rest or stopnews or informationinterest on money or loans
Noun / VerbNeutral#body#actions#finance
Sample Usage
  • 休息
    xiū xí
    to rest / to take a break
  • 信息
    xìn xī
    information / news
2. Sound
/[ɕi⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
息
xīxi1
++
¯(55)
=xī
Initial Consonant
x
Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative
Sounds like: sh sound produced with the tongue blade near the hard palate
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue raised close to the hard palate, teeth nearly closed.
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: ee sound as in 'see'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, identical to a flat musical note sustained at the top of your speaking voice.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the high palatal fricative-vowel combination with 'shī' or failing to maintain the high level pitch, letting it dip into a neutral tone.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A flat, high horizontal hand gesture held steady in the upper vocal register, matching the level pitch of Tone 1.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (zì, self) sits compactly on top of the bottom component (xīn, heart), maintaining balanced vertical symmetry without letting either part dominate.

4. Components

Radical 心 · Heart Radical (heart, mind, emotion)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 心 (indicates emotional or vital energy)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 自 (original sound: zì)

Composed of 自 (self, nose) at the top and 心 (heart) at the bottom. Breathing comes from oneself (the nose) and settles deep in the heart.

  • 自 self / nose (source of breath)
  • 心 heart / mind (resting place)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined 自 (nose, breathing) and 心 (heart), portraying respiration as the breath moving from the nose down into the heart.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical act of breathing, it extended to stopping or resting (holding one's breath/pausing), then to messages carried on the breath (news), and financial interest accumulating over time.

  • Ancient physicians observed that the rhythm of the heart and breath are intimately connected to rest and health.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
tức
High checked tone corresponding to entering tones in Middle Chinese.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ソク / Kun: いき
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
식
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You take a deep breath through yournose (自) straight down to your heart (心) when you stop to REST.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
息
xībreath, restBase character with self over heart
熄
xīto extinguishAdded fire radical (火) on the left for putting out flames
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
思(sī)
Has 田 (field) on top instead of 自 (self); means to think.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
工作了一天，他累了，需要好好的[___]一会儿。
Clue: xiū xí
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top component 自 with 田 or 白 when writing, which completely changes the character into 思 or 百.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 息 meaning breath or rest, what is its Pinyin?
Production: How do you write the character for 'breath/rest' composed of 'self' over 'heart'?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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