史 meaning and stroke order
History, chronicle, annals
How to write 史, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 史
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- history
- annals
- title of an official historian in ancient China
How 史 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 乂 using a pen to record a history.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 史
Picture the box 口 as a record or tablet, and the crossed strokes 乂 as a hand holding a pen across it. A hand writing down events is a historian making 史 (shǐ), history.
史 rarely stands alone in speech. It usually appears in words like 历史 (lìshǐ, history) or 史上 (shǐshàng, in history). Example: 这是史上最热的夏天。(Zhè shì shǐshàng zuì rè de xiàtiān.) This is the hottest summer in history.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 史 (shǐ) with 吏 (lì, official) and 更 (gèng, more). 吏 has an extra horizontal stroke on top, and 更 has a stroke running through the box. Also keep the third tone on shǐ, not the fourth tone of 是 (shì).
Common words with 史
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 历史 | lìshǐ | history | HSK 4 |
| 史无前例 | shǐwúqiánlì | (idiom) unprecedented in history | HSK 7-9 |
| 有史以来 | yǒushǐyǐlái | since the beginning of history | |
| 史上 | shǐshàng | in history | |
| 历史性 | lìshǐxìng | historic | |
| 史诗 | shǐshī | an epic; poetic saga | |
| 历史学家 | lìshǐxuéjiā | historian | |
| 史前 | shǐqián | prehistoric times; (attributive) prehistoric | |
| 病史 | bìngshǐ | medical history | |
| 罗曼史 | luómànshǐ | romance (loanword); love affair | |
| 历史悠久 | lìshǐyōujiǔ | long-established; time-honored | |
| 载入史册 | zǎirùshǐcè | to be recorded in history; to go down in history |
史 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 史
Learning 史 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 史
How many strokes are in 史?
史 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 史 mean?
史 (shǐ) means history, chronicle, annals. A common word with it is 历史 (lìshǐ), meaning "history".
How do you pronounce 史?
史 is pronounced shǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 史?
The radical of 史 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 史 under this radical.
Is 史 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 史 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 历史 and 史?
历史 (lìshǐ) is the everyday word for history, used as a school subject or in conversation. 史 alone is more formal or literary and mostly appears inside compounds like 史诗 (shǐshī, epic) or in titles of history books.
How do you say unprecedented using 史?
Use the idiom 史无前例 (shǐwúqiánlì), meaning nothing like it has happened before in history. For example, 这是史无前例的成就 (zhè shì shǐwúqiánlì de chéngjiù) means this is an unprecedented achievement.