About
The character 息 originally depicted a breath of air entering the nose (自). The lines indicating the breath were later reanalyzed as the heart radical 心, producing the form 自 above 心. This visually ties the act of breathing through the nose to the heart's beating. The primary meaning is "breath" or "panting", from which it naturally extended to "rest" or "cease", heavy breathing suggests stopping to recover. Later, the character expanded to mean "news, information, message" and also "interest" (financial yield).
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我需要休息一下。
这个消息很重要。
银行利息很高。
他深深地叹息。
信息时代来了。
我们作息要规律。
他的气息很微弱。
经过努力，矛盾终于平息了。
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