希
xī HSK3

hope

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approved by Peter Olson · Apr 13, 2021, 08:38 PM · Reviewed by Peter Olson on Apr 13, 2021, 08:38 PM

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Changed fields: gloss, hint, originalMeaning, isVerified, customSources

Original meaning: type of cloth

Composed of 爻 (cross shape) and 巾 (cloth). Originally depicted a type of cloth. The meaning later shifted to "sparse", "rare", and "hope".

Components

爻
爻 Iconic component
yáo, xiào diagrams for divination

Depicts pattern on the cloth.

巾
巾 Meaning component
jīn cloth

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartxj+jqʰəj thin, sparse

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫古文字谱系疏证 p.2866
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica