私

sī

厶 + 禾

Frequency#1023

Definitions

sī (adjective) private; personal

sī (adjective) selfish

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 厶 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "grain". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

The character "私" structurally combines the radical "禾", meaning grain, with the component "厶", representing privacy or self-interest, to initially convey the idea of private grain or personal agricultural produce. This original reference to privately held farmland gradually broadened in meaning to include concepts of personal affairs, selfishness, and the general adjective "private". Its form has remained unchanged, with "禾" and "厶" continuously constituting the character, visually reinforcing the notion of grain separated for individual use as it shifted from a specific material designation to an abstract term.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是我的私人汽车。

Zhè shì wǒ de sīrén qìchē.

This is my private car.

他有点自私。

Tā yǒudiǎn zìsī.

He is a bit selfish.

请保护我的隐私。

Qǐng bǎohù wǒ de yǐnsī.

Please protect my privacy.

私人会议不允许外人参加。

Sīrén huìyì bù yǔnxǔ wàirén cānjiā.

Private meetings do not allow outsiders to attend.

她私下告诉我一个秘密。

Tā sīxià gàosù wǒ yīgè mìmì.

She told me a secret in private.

公司有严格的私人信息政策。

Gōngsī yǒu yángé de sīrén xìnxī zhèngcè.

The company has strict private information policies.

在公共场合，我们应该注意私人行为。

Zài gōnggòng chǎnghé, wǒmen yīnggāi zhùyì sīrén xíngwéi.

In public places, we should pay attention to our private behavior.

尽管他自私，但我还是原谅了他。

Jǐnguǎn tā zìsī, dàn wǒ háishì yuánliàngle tā.

Although he is selfish, I still forgave him.

Related Characters

Component: 厶

Component: 禾

私