Meaning
scholar; warrior; knight
Chinese: 读书人、军人或有专门身份的人。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “shi” becomes a different word in each tone. 士 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 女士nǚ shìlady; madam; Miss; Ms
- 士兵shì bīngsoldier
- 博士bó shìdoctor (as an academic degree); (old) person specialized in a skill or trade; (old) court academician
- 战士zhàn shìfighter; soldier; warrior
- 护士hù shinurse
Example Sentence
护士细心地照顾病人。Hù shi xì xīn de zhào gù bìng rén.The nurse takes care of the patients attentively.
护士Hù shinurse细心xì xīnmeticulous地de(adverb marker)照顾zhào gùto take care of病人bìng rénsick person。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph (read as a man of standing or an axe-symbol of rank). It means ‘a scholar, intellectual; a gentleman; a soldier, warrior; a person of a trade (护士, 战士)’ (士兵, 博士).
A way to remember it
A man of standing — a scholar; a soldier; a professional (护士).
Easy to confuse with
- 土‘Earth’: the lower line is longer than the top; in 士 the top line is longer.