袖 (xiù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

袖

xiù[xiu4]Tone 4

sleeve

HSK 6

Guru Deep Dive

English · sleeve

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (衤) should be compact and compressed to the left half, leaving ample space for the right component (由) to breathe and maintain structural balance.

1. Meaning

sleeve (of a garment)

to tuck inside one's sleeveto harbor or conceal (ideas, intentions)

Noun / VerbNeutral#clothing#actions#anatomy of garments

Sample Usage

这件衣服的袖子太长了。
zhè jiàn yīfu de xiùzi tài cháng le.
The sleeves of this piece of clothing are too long.
他把双手袖在手里。
tā bǎ shuōushǒu xiù zài shǒu lǐ.
He tucked both hands inside his sleeves.

2. Sound

/[ɕi̯oʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

袖

xiùxiu4

`(51)

=xiù

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative

Sounds like: sh sound pronounced with the tongue blade near the lower teeth

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue approaches the hard palate while the tip rests behind the lower front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -iou rhymes with 'yoh' or 'ee-oh'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yo'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: iu is short for iou, where the 'o' is a hidden middle glide.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges instantly to the bottom, matching an emphatic English command like 'No!' or 'Stop!'.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse 'xiù' with 'xiū' (Tone 1). The 4th tone requires a sharp drop, whereas Tone 1 stays high and level.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, definitive nod downward, like chopping your hand straight down in agreement.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (衤) should be compact and compressed to the left half, leaving ample space for the right component (由) to breathe and maintain structural balance.

4. Components

Radical 衤 · Clothing radical (Clothes, garments, fabrics)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 衤 (Indicates that the word relates to clothing or garments.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 由 (original sound: yóu / xiù)

A traditional garment (衤) featuring a prominent center or passage (由) where the arm goes through: the sleeve.

衤 Clothing semantic radical
由 Phonetic and structural component meaning 'from' or 'cause'

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

17· Phonetic Root: 由 (yóu)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the clothing radical (衤) representing fabric and the sound/shape component (由) representing an opening or cavity through which something passes.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to the sleeve of a robe. Over time, it also came to be used as a verb describing the ancient custom of tucking hands or small items inside wide flowing sleeves.

In ancient China, wide sleeves (袖) were often used as pockets to carry small scrolls, money, or even keep hands warm in winter.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: シュウ (shū) / Kun: そで (sode)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

수

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine wearing a magnificent robe with a special **clothing** radical (衤) on the left. Inside each **sleeve**, you keep a **reason** or a secret plan (由).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

抽

chōuto pull out, to extractUses the hand radical (扌) instead of clothing (衤) because you use your hand to pull.

油

yóuoil, fatUses the water radical (氵) because oil flows like liquid.

迪

díto guide, enlightenUses the walking radical (辶) representing a path or guidance.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

抽(chōu)

Check the left side: 衤 is for sleeves and clothing, while 扌 is for hand actions like pulling.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这件毛衣的[___]太短了，不保暖。

Clue: xiù zi

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left component 衤 (clothing) with 礻 (spirit/altar), which completely changes the radical category.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 袖 mean, and what is its primary radical?

Production: How do you write 'sleeve' (xiù) using the clothing radical and the phonetic component?

袖xiùsleeve

Speed:

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