锈 (xiù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

锈

xiù[xiu4]Tone 4

to rust

HSK 7

View Traditional FormSwitch to Traditional

鏽

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to rust

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Left-right

Strokes:12

Writing Balance Rule: The metal radical on the left (钅) must be compressed slightly to make room for the complex phonetic component on the right (琇), keeping overall horizontal balance.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 鏽 uses 釒 for metal and 秀 for the right side. In simplified Chinese, 釒 becomes 钅, and 秀 remains unchanged.

1. Meaning

to rust, to corrode

rust (noun)metal oxidation

verb / nounNeutral#materials#chemistry#decay

Sample Usage

铁生锈了。
tiě shēng xiù le.
The iron has rusted.
一把生锈的钥匙
yī bǎ shēng xiù de yào shi
A rusted key

2. Sound

/[ɕi̯u⁵¹]/Tone: 51

锈

xiùxiu4

`(51)

=xiù

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

xiu

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per the side-by-side rule (in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative

Sounds like: sh sound pronounced with the tongue tip behind lower front teeth

Unaspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Front of the tongue is raised toward the hard palate, air escapes frictionally.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -iou rhymes with '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 middle 'o' is retained in pronunciation.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like shouting a sharp 'No!' or giving an abrupt command.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the alveolo-palatal 'xi' with the retroflex 'shi', or missing the sharp downward drop of Tone 4.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp downward chop with your hand, mirroring a stern head nod from high to low, representing Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The metal radical on the left (钅) must be compressed slightly to make room for the complex phonetic component on the right (琇), keeping overall horizontal balance.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 鏽 uses 釒 for metal and 秀 for the right side. In simplified Chinese, 釒 becomes 钅, and 秀 remains unchanged.

4. Components

Radical 钅 · metal radical (metal, gold, mineral)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 钅 (indicates that rusting relates to metal materials)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 秀 (original sound: xiù)

The metal radical (钅) combines with the phonetic component 'grain head / beautiful' (秀) to form the concept of metal degrading and turning reddish-brown.

钅 metal semantic element
秀 xiù phonetic sound clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

6· Phonetic Root: 秀 (xiù)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the metal classifier (金/钅) representing metallic substances and 秀 (xiù) providing the pronunciation, denoting the corrosion of metal over time.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to the corrosion or weathering of iron and bronze objects, maintaining this precise definition into modern times.

In ancient metallurgy, bronze and iron weapons frequently developed colored patinas or destructive rust if left unmaintained.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: シュウ / Kun: さび.る

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

수

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

A shiny piece of **METAL** (钅) left out in the rain loses its beauty (**秀** xiù), turning completely orange and **RUSTED** (xiù).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

秀

xiùrefined; elegant; graceful; beautiful; showPhonetic Core (声旁)

透

tòupenetrate; thoroughly+ 辶 (walking)

绣

xiùvariant of 繡|绣[xiu4]+ 纟 (silk)

莠

yǒuSetaria viridis; vicious+ 艹 (plants)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

秀(xiù)

秀 means talented or beautiful; add the metal radical (钅) to make it rust (锈).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这把老锁生___了，打不开了。

Clue: xiù

Common Learner Pitfall

Mistaking the phonetic right component 秀 for an independent meaning when writing, or forgetting to include the metal radical 钅 on the left.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 锈 mean and how is it pronounced with tone?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to rust' using the metal radical and the phonetic part 秀?

锈xiùto rust

Speed:

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