兮

兮	U+516E, 兮 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-516E

← 六
[U+516D]

CJK Unified Ideographs

兯 →
[U+516F]

Translingual

Han character

兮 (Kangxi radical 12, 八+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 金一女尸 (CMVS), four-corner 8020₇, composition ⿱八丂)

References

KangXi: page 127, character 3
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1455
Dae Jaweon: page 283, character 2
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 241, character 6
Unihan data for U+516E

Chinese

trad.		兮
simp. ^#		兮
alternative forms		𠔃

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 兮

Shang

Western Zhou

Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)

Liushutong (compiled in Ming)

Oracle bone script

Bronze inscriptions

Small seal script

Transcribed ancient scripts

**Oracle bone script**
j11575	j11576	j11577	j11578	j11579	j11580	j11581	j11582
j11583	j11584	j11585

**Bronze inscriptions**
b07112	b07113	b07114	b07115	b07116	b07117	b07118

**Small seal script**
s03508

**Transcribed ancient scripts**
L02483	L02484	L02485

References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (兮) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
盻	ŋeːs, ɢeːs
兮	*ɢeː
枍	*qeːs

Originally the same character as 乎 (OC *ɢaː). The oracle bone form consists of 丂 (“fork in a tree”) and two vertical strokes above; the two strokes are parallel in most oracle bone attestations, possibly representing finer branches (i.e. the sound produced by wind blows past these branches).

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xī (xi¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧ
Cantonese (Jyutping): hai⁴
Min Nan (POJ): ê / hê

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xī
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: si
  - Wade–Giles: hsi¹
  - Yale: syī
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shi
  - Palladius: си (si)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: hai⁴
  - Yale: hàih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: hai⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: hei⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɐi̯²¹/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ê / hê
  - Tâi-lô: ê / hê
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ee, hee
  - IPA (Xiamen): /e²⁴/, /he²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /e²⁴/, /he²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /e¹³/, /he¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /e²⁴/, /he²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /e²³/, /he²³/

Note:

ê - vernacular;
hê - literary.

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 兮
Mandarin	Beijing	/ɕi⁵⁵/
	Harbin	/ɕi⁴⁴/
	Tianjin	/ɕi²¹/
	Jinan	/ɕi²¹³/
	Qingdao	/ɕi²¹³/
	Zhengzhou	/ɕi²⁴/
	Xi'an	/ɕi²¹/
	Xining	/ɕi⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ɕi¹³/
	Lanzhou	/ɕi⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/ɕi⁴⁴/
	Wuhan	/ɕi⁵⁵/
	Chengdu	/ɕi⁵⁵/
	Guiyang	/ɕi⁵⁵/
	Kunming	/ɕi⁴⁴/
	Nanjing	/ɕi³¹/
	Hefei	/sz̩²¹/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ɕi¹¹/
	Pingyao	/ɕi¹³/
	Hohhot	/ɕi³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/ɕi⁵³/
	Suzhou	/i⁵⁵/
	Hangzhou	/ɦi²¹³/
	Wenzhou	/ji³¹/
Hui	Shexian	/ɕi³¹/
Hui	Tunxi
Xiang	Changsha	/ɕi³³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/ɕi³³/
Gan	Nanchang
Hakka	Meixian	/hi⁴⁴/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/hi²⁴/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/hɐi²¹/
	Nanning	/hɐi²¹/
	Hong Kong	/hɐi²¹/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/he³⁵/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/hie⁴⁴/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/xi⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/hi³³/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/hi²³/

Middle Chinese: /ɦei/

Rime
Character	兮
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	齊 (39)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	胡雞切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦei/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦei/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣɛi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦɛj/
Li Rong	/ɣei/
Wang Li	/ɣiei/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣiei/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xí
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hai⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ɡˤe/
(Zhengzhang): /*ɢeː/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	兮
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xī
Middle Chinese	‹ hej ›
Old Chinese	/*ɡˁe/
English	(final particle)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	兮
Reading #	1/1
No.	13231
Phonetic component	兮
Rime group	支
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	奚
Old Chinese	/*ɢeː/

Definitions

兮

(literary) Sentence-internal or final exclamatory particle.
- 蘀兮蘀兮，風其吹女。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
  萚兮萚兮，风其吹女。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Tuò xī tuò xī, fēng qí chuī rǔ. [Pinyin]
  Ye withered leaves! Ye withered leaves! How the wind is blowing you away!
- 子夏問曰：「『巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮，素以為絢兮。』何謂也？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  子夏问曰：“‘巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮，素以为绚兮。’何谓也？” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Zǐ Xià wèn yuē: “‘qiǎoxiào qiàn xī, měimù pàn xī, sù yǐwéi xuàn xī.’ Héwèi yě?” [Pinyin]
  Zi Xia asked, saying, "What is the meaning of the passage - 'The pretty dimples of her artful smile! The well-defined black and white of her eye! The plain ground for the colors?'"
- 淵兮似萬物之宗。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  渊兮似万物之宗。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE
  Yuān xī sì wànwù zhī zōng. [Pinyin]
  How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things!
- 歸兮亦難佇亦難，幾日彷徨中路傍？ [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]
  From: 《蘭皐平生詩》 (The Poem of My Life), death poem of Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), 1863
  Gwi hye yeok nan jeo yeok nan, giil banghwang jungno bang? [Sino-Korean]
  Oh, it is difficult to go home, but so it is to stay; how many days more shall I roam the roads?
(Min Zhong, Puxian Min) Possessive particle.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 的 (“possessive particle”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		之
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		的
Mandarin	Beijing	的
	Taiwan	的
	Chengdu	的
	Guilin	的
	Malaysia	的
	Singapore	的
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	的
	Dagudi (Maliba)	的
	Reshuitang (Longling)	的
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	的
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	的
	Pematangsiantar	的
Cantonese	Guangzhou	嘅 †
	Hong Kong	嘅 †
	Macau	嘅 †
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	嘅
	Taishan	個, 嘅
	Beihai	個
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	個
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	嘅
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	個
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	嘅
	Penang (Guangfu)	嘅
	Singapore (Guangfu)	嘅
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	嘅
	Móng Cái	個
Gan	Nanchang	個
Hakka	Meixian	個
	Wuhua (Meilin)	個
	Nanxiong (Zhuji)	個
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	個
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	個
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	個
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	個
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	個
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	個
	Kuching (Hepo)	嘅
Huizhou	Jixi	仂
Jin	Taiyuan	的
Jiuxing Yumin	Lanxi	個
Min Bei	Jian'ou	個
Min Dong	Fuzhou	其
Min Nan	Xiamen	個
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	個
	Quanzhou	個
	Zhangzhou	個
	Zhao'an	個
	Dongshan	個
	Taipei	個
	Kaohsiung	個
	Tainan	個
	Penang (Hokkien)	個
	Singapore (Hokkien)	個
	Manila (Hokkien)	個
	Chaozhou	個 †
	Shantou	個 †
	Jieyang	個 †
	Haifeng	個
	Singapore (Teochew)	個 †
	Leizhou	個
	Wenchang	個
	Singapore (Hainanese)	個
Puxian Min	Xianyou	兮
Min Zhong	Yong'an	兮
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	嘅
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Liutang, Lingui)	嘅
Wu	Shanghai	個
	Suzhou	個
	Ningbo	個
	Wenzhou	個
Xiang	Changsha	的
Note	† - may use corresponding classifier in certain contexts

Compounds

伯兮
兮兮 (xīxī)
兮晡
巧笑倩兮

慘兮兮／惨兮兮
歸去來兮／归去来兮
神經兮兮／神经兮兮 (shénjīngxīxī)

簡兮／简兮
蘀兮／萚兮
髒兮兮／脏兮兮 (zāngxīxī)

Japanese

Kanji

兮

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Readings

Go-on: げ (ge)
Kan-on: けい (kei)
Kun: の (no)

Korean

Hanja

兮 (eum 혜 (hye))

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

兮: Hán Nôm readings: hề

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.