DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
希
Mandarin · pinyin xī
Meanings
- to hope
- to admire
- variant of 稀 xī
Characters in this entry
- 希
- xī · rare; hope, expect, strive for
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1 · xi1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link169same-tone records1source reference
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
hei1
Cantonese word readings for 希. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) original form of 稀 (xī, “rare; sparse”)
- to hope; to expect; to strive for
- to admire; to look up to
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 希臘/希腊 (Xīlà, “Greece; Greek”)
- Used in transcription.
- synonym of 絺 /𫄨
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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