赐 (cì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

赐

cì[ci4]Tone 4

confer, bestow, grant

HSK 7

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賜

Guru Deep Dive

English · confer, bestow, grant

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:12

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (贝) takes up about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (易) ample space to stretch out its horizontal and diagonal strokes gracefully.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 賜 simplifies the left element to 贝 (shell/money), aligning with standard simplified radical transformations.

1. Meaning

to confer, bestow, or grant (formal or imperial context)

gift or favor bestowed by a superiorsurname Ci

Verb / NounLiterary / FormalBound morpheme#society#power#action

Sample Usage

恩赐
ēncì
to bestow a favor / bounty
赐教
cìjiào
to offer advice or instruction (polite formula)

2. Sound

/[tsʰi˥˩]/Tone: 51

赐

cìci4

`(51)

=cì

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Dental Sibilant

Sounds like: ts- sound like 'ts' in 'cats'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Sharp burst of air through teeth! Tissue MUST flutter strongly.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the back of upper teeth, releasing a sharp burst of air.

Final Rhyme

i (-i*)

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: ee sound like 'ee' in 'see'

Note: Written as 'i (-i*)', pronounced as rounded 'i' [y].

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'zh-' (jr) with final '-i' (rr/zz).

Common Learner Trap: Do NOT pronounce '-i' as 'ee' after zh-! Keep your tongue in the consonant position and buzz 'rr/zz'.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, much like shouting a sharp 'No!' or giving a direct command in English.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the affricate initial 'c' [tsʰ] with the retroflex 'ch' [tʂʰ] or the alveolar fricative 's' [s].

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A decisive, sharp nod downward or a chopping hand motion from high to low, mirroring the abrupt 51 drop.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (贝) takes up about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (易) ample space to stretch out its horizontal and diagonal strokes gracefully.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 賜 simplifies the left element to 贝 (shell/money), aligning with standard simplified radical transformations.

4. Components

Radical 贝 · Shell Radical (Shell, money, wealth, or valuable goods)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 贝 (Indicates wealth, treasure, or valuable goods being given away)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 易 (original sound: yi / ci phonological proximity in historical Chinese)

An emperor uses valuable shell currency (贝) combined with an easy gesture (易) to effortlessly bestow gifts upon his subjects.

贝 Shell / Wealth / Treasure
易 Easy / Phonetic clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

10· Phonetic Root: 易 (yì)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the shell/treasure radical (贝) representing valuable goods with a phonetic element (易) to denote the formal act of giving treasures or favors from a ruler.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from physical granting of treasures in imperial times to broader literary usages like bestowing favors, advice, or abstract grace.

Often used in imperial decrees where emperors granted titles, lands, or death sentences.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

tứ

Similar to the rising/sharp inflection in Vietnamese northern accent.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: シ (shi) / Kun: たまわ.る (tamawa.ru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

사

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

The emperor hands out valuable treasures from his shell collection (贝) with absolute ease (易), granting a royal favor to everyone.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

易

yìeasy / changePhonetic Core (声旁)

踢

tīto kick+ 足 (foot)

剔

tīto scrape, to pick, to weed out+ 刂 (knife)

惕

tìfearful; respectful+ 忄 (heart)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

易(yì)

Missing the left shell radical (贝).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

老板给员工[___]了丰厚的奖金。

Clue: cì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left-right structure with unrelated characters containing 易, or mispronouncing the initial 'c' as an English 's' sound.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 赐 mean when seen in formal contexts like 恩赐?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to bestow/confer' (cì) using the shell radical?

赐cìconfer, bestow, grant

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