惜 meaning and stroke order
Pity, regret; to rue; to begrudge
How to write 惜, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 惜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to cherish
- to begrudge
- to pity
- Taiwan pr. [xi2]
How 惜 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To feel 忄 for the past 昔; 昔 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 惜
惜 combines the heart radical 忄 with 昔 (xī), meaning the past. When your heart looks back at the past, you either cherish what you had or regret what you lost, and 昔 also gives the sound xī.
惜 rarely stands alone in modern speech and mostly appears in words like 可惜 (kěxī), 珍惜 (zhēnxī) and 爱惜 (àixī). It can mean both valuing something highly and feeling sorry it was lost or wasted. Example: 太可惜了。(Tài kěxī le.) What a pity.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 惜 with 借 (jiè, to borrow), which has the person radical 亻 instead of the heart radical 忄. Remember that feelings take the heart, so 惜 is about emotion, not lending.
Common words with 惜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
惜 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 惜
How many strokes are in 惜?
惜 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 惜 mean?
惜 (xī) means pity, regret; to rue; to begrudge. A common word with it is 可惜 (kěxī), meaning "it is a pity; what a pity".
How do you pronounce 惜?
惜 is pronounced xī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 惜?
The radical of 惜 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 惜 under this radical.
Is 惜 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 惜 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What does 不惜 mean, and is it negative?
不惜 (bùxī) means not sparing or not holding back, as in being willing to pay any price. For example, 不惜一切代价 (bùxī yíqiè dàijià) means at all costs. It is not negative by itself, but it can describe extreme determination.
What is the difference between 可惜 and 惋惜?
可惜 (kěxī) is the everyday way to say what a pity and works in casual speech. 惋惜 (wǎnxī) is more formal and expresses deeper sorrow or regret, often in writing or about serious losses.