About
淅 is a phono-semantic compound with the water radical 氵 on the left, indicating a connection to liquid, and the phonetic component 析 on the right, providing the pronunciation "xī". The character originally meant washing rice before cooking, but this practical sense is now rare. In modern and literary use, it appears almost exclusively as onomatopoeia for the patter of rain or rustle of wind, most commonly in the reduplicated phrase 淅沥 (xīlì), which evokes the soft, continuous sound of a light rain shower.
Etymology Hide
