恃

shì

寺 + 忄

Definitions

shì (bound form) to rely on; (literary) one's mother

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 寺 represents the sound.

Semantic: 忄 Phonetic: 寺

About

恃 is a phonosemantic compound in which the radical 忄 (heart) on the left indicates a state of mind or emotion, and the component 寺 on the right supplies the pronunciation. The character means to rely upon someone or something for support, but it frequently conveys a negative nuance: a sense of presumption or arrogance derived from having powerful backing, such as wealth, political influence, or physical strength. This reliance can lead one to act boldly or recklessly, taking undue advantage of the protection or leverage that such dependencies provide.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他恃财生活。

tā shì cái shēng huó

He lives relying on wealth.

她恃宠行事。

tā shì chǒng xíng shì

She acts relying on favor.

你不能恃势压人。

nǐ bù néng shì shì yā rén

You cannot oppress people relying on power.

他恃才自满不进步。

tā shì cái zì mǎn bù jìn bù

He is complacent relying on talent and does not improve.

孩子恃宠而骄父母要管。

hái zi shì chǒng ér jiāo fù mǔ yào guǎn

Children become arrogant relying on favor, parents need to discipline.

在团队中恃强欺负弱者不好。

zài tuán duì zhōng shì qiáng qī fu ruò zhě bù hǎo

In teams, relying on strength to bully the weak is not good.

他恃着家族背景傲慢无礼。

tā shì zhe jiā zú bèi jǐng ào màn wú lǐ

Relying on his family background, he is arrogant and rude.

尽管他恃着自己的聪明但还是失败了。

jǐn guǎn tā shì zhe zì jǐ de cōng míng dàn hái shì shī bài le

Although he relies on his own intelligence, he still failed.

Related Characters

Component: 寺

Component: 忄

恃