休 meaning and stroke order
To rest; to stop; to retire
How to write 休, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 休
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to rest
- to stop doing sth for a period of time
- to cease
- (imperative) don't
How 休 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 亻 leaning against a tree 木.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 休
休 shows a person 亻 leaning against a tree 木. When you are tired, you stop and rest in the shade of a tree.
休 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It usually appears in words like 休息 (xiūxi, to rest), 休假 (xiūjià, to take a holiday) and 退休 (tuìxiū, to retire). Example: 我累了，想休息一下。(Wǒ lèi le, xiǎng xiūxi yíxià.) I'm tired and want to rest for a bit.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 休 with 体 (tǐ, body), which also has 亻 on the left but uses 本 instead of 木. Check for the extra short horizontal stroke at the bottom: 体 has it, 休 does not.
Common words with 休
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 休息 | xiūxi | rest; to rest | HSK 1 |
| 休假 | xiūjià | to go on vacation; to have a holiday; to take leave | HSK 2 |
| 退休 | tuìxiū | to retire (from the workforce); to go into retirement | HSK 3 |
| 休闲 | xiūxián | leisure; relaxation | HSK 5 |
| 休想 | xiūxiǎng | don't think (that); don't imagine (that) | HSK 7-9 |
| 退休金 | tuìxiūjīn | retirement pension; pension payments received after retirement | HSK 7-9 |
| 休克 | xiūkè | (medicine) (loanword) shock; to go into shock | HSK 7-9 |
| 罢休 | bàxiū | to give up; to abandon (a goal etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 休眠 | xiūmián | (biology) dormant; (of a volcano) dormant | HSK 7-9 |
| 休养 | xiūyǎng | to recuperate; to recover | HSK 7-9 |
| 休息室 | xiūxīshì | lobby; lounge | |
| 喋喋不休 | diédiébùxiū | (idiom) to chatter endlessly; to talk nonstop | |
| 休庭 | xiūtíng | to adjourn (law) | |
| 休战 | xiūzhàn | armistice |
休 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 休
Learning 休 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 休
How many strokes are in 休?
休 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 休 mean?
休 (xiū) means to rest; to stop; to retire. A common word with it is 休息 (xiūxi), meaning "rest; to rest".
How do you pronounce 休?
休 is pronounced xiū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 休?
The radical of 休 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 休 under this radical.
Is 休 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 休 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why is 息 in 休息 often pronounced with a neutral tone?
In everyday Mandarin, 休息 is usually said as xiūxi, with 息 in the neutral tone. You may hear xiūxī in careful speech, but the neutral tone sounds more natural in conversation.
What does 休想 mean and how strong is it?
休想 (xiūxiǎng) means "don't even think about it" and keeps the old imperative sense of 休 as "don't". It sounds firm and a bit confrontational, as in 你休想骗我 (nǐ xiūxiǎng piàn wǒ), "don't think you can fool me".