息 xī breath
breath; rest; news; interest
How to remember 息: 自 self + 心 heart = breath. The exhausted runner drags her tired self over the line, her heart pounding, and gasps for breath.
Component breakdown
息 = 自 self + 心 heart
- 自 self
- 心 heart
The exhausted runner drags her tired self over the line, her heart pounding, and gasps for breath.
How it came to be
A nose drawn from the front, over a heart. Breath coming up from the chest and out through the nose, and stopping to take one is where rest and news and interest all come from.
How it is used
- Rest / breath / news - most common as 休息 (xiūxi) to rest and 消息 (xiāoxi) news or a message.
- Also interest on money - 利息 (lìxī); the shared idea is something that arises or accrues.
Characters built with 息
Words with 息
- 休息xiūxito restHSK 1
- 消息xiāoxinewsHSK 4
- 信息xìnxīinformationHSK 4
- 利息lìxīinterest (on a loan)HSK 6
- 作息zuòxīto work and restHSK 7
- 出息chūxifuture prospectsHSK 7
- 平息píngxīto subsideHSK 7
- 息息相关xīxī-xiāngguānclosely bound up (idiom)HSK 7
- 气息qìxībreathHSK 7
- 经久不息jīngjiǔ-bùxīprolonged (applause, cheering etc)HSK 7
- 喘息chuǎnxīto gasp for breathHSK 8
- 川流不息chuānliú-bùxīthe stream flows without stopping (idiom)HSK 8
- 窒息zhìxīto chokeHSK 9
- 自强不息zìqiáng-bùxīto strive unremittinglyHSK 9
Example sentences
- 病人需要休息。 Bìngrén xūyào xiūxi.Sick people need rest.
- 这个信息是错误的。 Zhège xìnxī shì cuòwù de.This information is wrong.
- 他们躺在草地上休息。 Tāmen tǎng zài cǎodì shang xiūxi.They're lying on the grass, resting.
- 他在看报纸的最新消息。 Tā zài kàn bàozhǐ de zuìxīn xiāoxi.He's reading the latest news in the paper.