吸

xī

及 + 口

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

xī (verb) to inhale; to breathe in

xī (verb) to absorb; to suck in

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 及 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 及

About

吸 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 口 (mouth) indicates an action performed with the mouth, and 及 gives the pronunciation. Its original meaning is to inhale or suck in air or liquids. Over time, this concrete notion of drawing inward was metaphorically extended to describe absorbing moisture, assimilating knowledge, and attracting objects or attention. The character thus spans from a basic physical act to varied figurative domains.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我呼吸空气。

Wǒ hūxī kōngqì.

I breathe air.

植物吸收水分。

Zhíwù xīshōu shuǐfèn.

Plants absorb water.

这本书吸引了我。

Zhè běn shū xīyǐnle wǒ.

This book attracted me.

她用吸管喝饮料。

Tā yòng xīguǎn hē yǐnliào.

She drinks beverage with a straw.

海绵能吸很多水。

Hǎimián néng xī hěnduō shuǐ.

Sponge can absorb a lot of water.

这个政策吸引了外资。

Zhège zhèngcè xīyǐnle wàizī.

This policy attracted foreign investment.

他试图吸引观众的注意力。

Tā shìtú xīyǐn guānzhòng de zhùyìlì.

He tried to attract the audience's attention.

吸烟有害健康是众所周知的事实。

Xīyān yǒuhài jiànkāng shì zhòngsuǒzhōuzhī de shìshí.

It is a well-known fact that smoking is harmful to health.

Related Characters

Component: 及

Component: 口

吸