湿

溼/濕

shī

显 + 氵

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

shī (adjective) wet; moist; damp

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 显 represents the sound. Simplified form of 濕.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 显

About

湿 is a phonosemantic compound and the simplified form of 濕. The water radical 氵 on the left indicates the meaning of moisture, dampness, or wetness. The right side is the phonetic component: in the traditional character, this was the elaborate 顯, which was replaced during simplification by 显, a character that gives the sound with far fewer strokes. This change greatly reduced the effort of writing while keeping the semantic radical unchanged, so the visual link to water and dampness remains clear.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

地板是湿的。

Dì bǎn shì shī de.

The floor is wet.

我的衣服湿透了。

Wǒ de yīfú shī tòu le.

My clothes are soaked wet.

雨后空气很湿润。

Yǔ hòu kōngqì hěn shīrùn.

The air is very humid after the rain.

湿毛巾不能放在床上。

Shī máojīn bù néng fàng zài chuáng shàng.

Wet towels should not be placed on the bed.

这个房间太潮湿了。

Zhège fángjiān tài cháoshī le.

This room is too damp.

湿气重的时候容易生病。

Shīqì zhòng de shíhòu róngyì shēngbìng.

When the humidity is high, it's easy to get sick.

他被雨淋得全身都湿了。

Tā bèi yǔ lín dé quánshēn dōu shī le.

He was caught in the rain and got wet all over.

植物生长需要湿润的土壤。

Zhíwù shēngzhǎng xūyào shīrùn de tǔrǎng.

Plants need moist soil to grow.

Related Characters

Component: 显

湿