撕

sī
扌 + 斯
HSK 2.0Level 5
HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

sī (verb) to tear; to rip

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 斯 represents the sound.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 斯

About

撕 is a phono-semantic compound formed by the left-side radical 扌 (shǒu), meaning hand and indicating a manual action, and the right-side phonetic component 斯 (sī). It denotes tearing, ripping, or shredding something apart by hand, usually applied to materials like paper, cloth, or leaves. Figuratively, the character extends to contexts such as tearing up an agreement, breaking off a relationship, or a fierce verbal or physical altercation where two sides are metaphorically ripping into each other.

Example Sentences Hide

请撕开包装。

Qǐng sī kāi bāozhuāng.

Please tear open the packaging.

他撕碎了那张纸。

Tā sī suì le nà zhāng zhǐ.

He tore that piece of paper into pieces.

我在厨房撕掉了标签。

Wǒ zài chúfáng sī diào le biāoqiān.

I tore off the label in the kitchen.

为了清洁，她撕掉了旧墙纸。

Wèile qīngjié, tā sī diào le jiù qiángzhǐ.

For cleanliness, she tore off the old wallpaper.

他撕开信封，拿出信纸。

Tā sī kāi xìnfēng, ná chū xìnzhǐ.

He tore open the envelope and took out the letter.

背叛撕裂了他们的关系。

Bèipàn sī liè le tāmen de guānxi.

Betrayal tore apart their relationship.

当看到成绩时，他撕掉了试卷。

Dāng kàn dào chéngjī shí, tā sī diào le shìjuàn.

When he saw the grade, he tore up the test paper.

那场激烈的争吵撕破了他们之间最后的温情。

Nà chǎng jīliè de zhēngchǎo sī pò le tāmen zhī jiān zuìhòu de wēnqíng.

That fierce argument tore apart the last bit of warmth between them.

Related Characters

Component: 扌

把 提 打 报 接 指 据 拉 持 技 找 推 投 护

Component: 斯

嘶 厮 澌 廝

Example Words

撕心裂肺 撕裂 撕咬 撕扯 撕掉 撕毁 撕烂 撕破 撕破脸 撕碎 撕票