袖

xiù

由 + 衤

Definitions

xiù (noun) sleeve

xiù (verb) to tuck inside one's sleeve

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 衤 represents the meaning and 由 represents the sound.

Semantic: 衤 Phonetic: 由

About

袖 is a phono-semantic compound: the clothing radical 衤 (yī) on the left signals a meaning related to garments, and the phonetic 由 (yóu) on the right provides the sound. It originally denoted the sleeve of a garment, the part covering the arm, and later also came to be used as a verb meaning to tuck something into a sleeve, a practice rooted in traditional Chinese dress where sleeves often served as pockets.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的袖子很干净。

Wǒ de xiùzi hěn gānjìng.

My sleeves are very clean.

她卷起了袖子。

Tā juǎn qǐle xiùzi.

She rolled up her sleeves.

这件衣服的袖口很紧。

Zhè jiàn yīfú de xiùkǒu hěn jǐn.

The cuff of this clothing is very tight.

他袖子上有一块污渍。

Tā xiùzi shàng yǒu yī kuài wūzì.

There is a stain on his sleeve.

我喜欢穿短袖衬衫。

Wǒ xǐhuān chuān duǎnxiù chènshān.

I like to wear short-sleeved shirts.

她送给我一个袖珍相机。

Tā sòng gěi wǒ yī gè xiùzhēn xiàngjī.

She gave me a pocket-sized camera.

由于袖子太长，她不得不把它剪短。

Yóuyú xiùzi tài cháng, tā bùdé bù bǎ tā jiǎn duǎn.

Because the sleeves were too long, she had to shorten them.

设计师在袖口处添加了精致的刺绣。

Shèjìshī zài xiùkǒu chù tiānjiā le jīngzhì de cìxiù.

The designer added exquisite embroidery at the cuff.

Related Characters

Component: 由

Component: 衤

袖