私

sī

厶 + 禾

Definitions

sī (adjective) private; personal

sī (adjective) selfish

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 厶 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "grain". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

The character 私 is a phono-semantic compound, combining the grain radical 禾 on the left, which indicates its agricultural origin, with the component 厶 on the right, which provides the sound and a core meaning of privacy. This structure reflects its original sense: the private portion of a harvest a farmer kept after paying taxes. From this specific agricultural context, the meaning gradually expanded to encompass anything personal or exclusive to an individual, leading to its modern senses of private, personal, selfish, or confidential.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是我的私人汽车。

Zhè shì wǒ de sīrén qìchē.

This is my private car.

他有点自私。

Tā yǒudiǎn zìsī.

He is a bit selfish.

请保护我的隐私。

Qǐng bǎohù wǒ de yǐnsī.

Please protect my privacy.

私人会议不允许外人参加。

Sīrén huìyì bù yǔnxǔ wàirén cānjiā.

Private meetings do not allow outsiders to attend.

她私下告诉我一个秘密。

Tā sīxià gàosù wǒ yīgè mìmì.

She told me a secret in private.

公司有严格的私人信息政策。

Gōngsī yǒu yángé de sīrén xìnxī zhèngcè.

The company has strict private information policies.

在公共场合，我们应该注意私人行为。

Zài gōnggòng chǎnghé, wǒmen yīnggāi zhùyì sīrén xíngwéi.

In public places, we should pay attention to our private behavior.

尽管他自私，但我还是原谅了他。

Jǐnguǎn tā zìsī, dàn wǒ háishì yuánliàngle tā.

Although he is selfish, I still forgave him.

Related Characters

Component: 厶

Component: 禾

私