Learn Chinese Characters

Meaning

news; interest; breath; rest

Chinese: 消息、休息或利息。

Hear the Four Tones

The same syllable “xi” becomes a different word in each tone. 息 is the 1st 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

  • 休息xiū xirest; to rest
  • 信息xìn xīinformation; news; message
  • 消息xiāo xi(piece of) news; information; message
  • 利息lì xīinterest (on a loan)
  • 出息chū xīto yield interest, profit etc; to exhale (Buddhism)

Example Sentence

工作累了要好好休息。Gōng zuò lèi le yào hǎo hǎo xiū xi.When you are tired from work, you should rest well.

工作Gōng zuòto worklèito accumulatele(completed action)要好yào hǎoto be on good termshǎogood休息xiū xirest

Go deeper

Where this character comes from

自 (nose) over 心 (heart): breath drawn through the nose — ‘breath; to breathe; to rest, stop, cease; news, information; interest (on money); one's children’ (休息, 消息, 利息).

A way to remember it

Breath through nose (自) and heart (心) — to rest; news (消息).