席 xí seat
seat; place; banquet; to take a seat
How to remember 席: 广 broad + 廿 twenty + 巾 towel = seat. Across the broad beach, twenty kids each spread out a towel, and everyone has a seat for the fireworks.
Component breakdown
席 = 广 broad + 廿 twenty + 巾 towel
- 广 broad
- 廿 twenty
- 巾 towel
Across the broad beach, twenty kids each spread out a towel, and everyone has a seat for the fireworks.
How it is used
- 席 means seat/place, and its most common standalone-feeling use is in 出席 (chūxí) "to attend (a formal event)" - reserved for meetings, ceremonies, banquets, unlike the general-purpose 参加 (cānjiā) which covers any activity.
- 他因病缺席了会议 (tā yīn bìng quēxí le huìyì) - he was absent from the meeting due to illness; 缺席 (quēxí) is the opposite of 出席, 出席会议 (chūxí huìyì) attend the meeting.
- 主席 (zhǔxí) is chairperson/president of an organization (毛主席 Chairman Mao); 席位 (xíwèi) is a seat, e.g. in parliament or at a table.
- Formal/written register - you wouldn't use 席 for casually taking a seat at a restaurant, that's just 坐.