Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/使-shĭ-send;-envoy;-use
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使 shĭ send; envoy; use in Mandarin Chinese
Definition
Radical is 人 rén “person”, which is written 亻 when occurring at the left side of a character so as not to get in the way of the component at the right. The colloquial name for this radical is 人字旁 rénzìpáng “side made up of the character 人.” Phonetic is 史 shĭ “history,” but note that the right side of 使 consists of 史 plus an additional stroke above it, so it forms the character 吏 lì “official.” An “envoy” 使 (a person “sent” some place) is an “official” 吏 “person” 人. Distinguish 使 from 更 gèng and 便 biàn.
Examples
- 大使 dàshĭ ambassador [N]
- 大使馆 (大使館) dàshĭguăn embassy [PW]
- 使用 shĭyòng use, employ [N]
Video
Sources
Book: Intermediate Written Chinese by Cornelius C. Kubler