Definitions
surname Xi
(literary) what?; where?; why?
Etymology
Depicts a hand holding a rope tied to a slave. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character "奚" is structurally composed of "爫" positioned over "幺" and "大", a configuration that visually suggests the grasping of a small figure, which corresponds to its original meaning of a slave or captive as documented in early texts. This sense later expanded during the classical period when the character acquired a function as an interrogative pronoun meaning "why" or "how", a semantic shift likely derived from its contextual use in questions concerning such individuals. In modern usage, while the original meaning is archaic, the interrogative sense persists in literary contexts, and the character is also employed in surnames and certain compound words.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他奚落了同学。
她因奚落他人而道歉。
奚先生是我们的老师。
我不知道他为何奚落我。
避免奚落别人是一种礼貌。
尽管被奚落，他仍然坚持自己的观点。
奚经理在会议上批评了那种奚落同事的行为。
对于这种无端的奚落，我们必须采取严肃的态度。