Definitions

(adjective) rare; uncommon; sparse
(adjective) thin; watery; diluted

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical (grain) points to the meaning, while (xī) supplies the sound. In its earliest usage, it described crops or seedlings in a field that were planted with wide gaps between them, resulting in sparse plant density. This notion of sparseness later generalized to anything infrequent or thinly spread across both space and time. Beyond sparseness, characterizes the physical state of liquids, meaning watery or diluted, having a low concentration of solid content.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这碗饭很热。

Zhè wǎn xīfàn hěn rè.

This bowl of porridge is hot.

这里人口少。

Zhèlǐ rénkǒu xīshǎo.

The population here is sparse.

熊猫是有动物。

Xióngmāo shì xīyǒu dòngwù.

Pandas are rare animals.

他的头发很疏。

Tā de tóufa hěn xīshū.

His hair is sparse.

用水释这杯果汁。

Yòng shuǐ xīshì zhè bēi guǒzhī.

Dilute this glass of juice with water.

高山上的空气很薄。

Gāoshān shàng de kōngqì hěn xībó.

The air on high mountains is thin.

他不罕那些礼物。

Tā bù xīhan nàxiē lǐwù.

He does not cherish those gifts.

这种矿物在地壳中含量少。

Zhè zhǒng kuàngwù zài dìqiào zhōng hánliàng xīshǎo.

This mineral has a low content in the earth's crust.