Meaning
to make; to cause; to enable; to use; to employ; messenger
Chinese: 使用、派遣；也表示使得、让。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “shi” becomes a different word in each tone. 使 is the 3rd 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
- 使用shǐ yòngto use; to employ; to apply; to make use of
- 大使馆dà shǐ guǎnembassy
- 即使jí shǐeven if; even though
- 促使cù shǐto prompt; to induce; to spur
- 使劲shǐ jìnto exert all one's strength
Example Sentence
音乐使人放松。Yīn yuè shǐ rén fàng sōng.Music makes people relax.
音乐Yīn yuèmusic使shǐto make人rénperson放松fàng sōngto relax。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
The person radical 亻 plus 吏 (an official): to send a person on a charge — ‘to send; to make/cause; to use; an envoy’ (使用, 大使).
A way to remember it
Send a person (亻) on a task — to make/cause, to use.