锈 xiù to rust
to rust; to corrode
How to remember 锈: 钅 gold + 秀 elegant = to rust. The gold garden chair looked so elegant in May, but after a rainy summer it has started to rust.
Component breakdown
锈 = 钅 gold + 秀 elegant
- 钅 gold
- 秀 elegant
- 禾 grain
- 乃 then
The gold garden chair looked so elegant in May, but after a rainy summer it has started to rust.
How it is used
- Rust and the verb to rust: 生锈 (shēng xiù) to get rusty, 铁锈 (tiěxiù) iron rust - 门锁生锈了 (mén suǒ shēng xiù le) the lock has rusted.
- 生锈 is the go-to phrase; 不锈钢 (búxiùgāng) 'no-rust steel' = stainless steel.
- Occasionally figurative for skills gone rusty from disuse, like English.