TraceHanzi

熄 meaning and stroke order

xī

To extinguish, to put out, to quench

HSK 7-914 strokesRadical 火
Strokes14
Pinyinxī
ToneTone 1
Frequency#2,658
Printable worksheetPractice all HSK 7-9 characters

How to write 熄, stroke by stroke

14 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. 1
  2. 2
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  14. 14

Meaning of 熄

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

xīfirst tone (high and level)
  1. to extinguish
  2. to put out (fire)
  3. to quench
  4. to stop burning
  5. to go out (of fire, lamp etc)
  6. to come to an end

How 熄 is built

Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To end 息 a flame 火; 息 also provides the pronunciation.

huǒfire+xīto end

Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.

How to remember 熄

熄 puts fire 火 (huǒ) next to 息 (xī), which can mean to rest or stop. A fire that comes to rest is a fire that has gone out, and 息 also gives the sound xī.

熄 is rarely used alone in speech. It usually appears in words like 熄灭 (xīmiè, to go out), 熄灯 (xīdēng, lights out) and 熄火 (xīhuǒ, to go out, or for an engine to stall). Example: 宿舍十一点熄灯。(Sùshè shíyī diǎn xīdēng.) The dorm turns off the lights at eleven.

Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 息 alone when they mean to put out a fire. The fire radical 火 is needed in 熄灭. Also keep the tone first tone, xī, the same as 息, not xí.

Common words with 熄

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
熄火xīhuǒ(of fire, lamp etc) to go out; to put out (fire)HSK 7-9
熄灭xīmièto stop burning; to go out (of fire)
熄灯xīdēngturn out the lights; lights out

熄 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

消xiāo防fáng队duì很hěn快kuài就jiù把bǎ大dà火huǒ扑pū熄xī。
The firemen quickly extinguished the blaze.
一yí定dìng要yào熄xī了le火huǒ，然rán后hòu再zài离lí开kāi。
Be sure to put out the fire before you leave.
你nǐ睡shuì觉jiào之zhī前qián不bú要yào忘wàng了le熄xī灯dēng。
Don't forget to put out the light before you go to bed.
他tā们men同tóng心xīn协xié力lì地dì把bǎ火huǒ扑pū熄xī了le。
They worked together to put out the fire.
别bié忘wàng记jì熄xī掉diào你nǐ的de香xiāng烟yān。
Don't forget to extinguish your cigarette.

Questions about 熄

How many strokes are in 熄?

熄 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 熄 mean?

熄 (xī) means to extinguish, to put out, to quench. A common word with it is 熄火 (xīhuǒ), meaning "(of fire, lamp etc) to go out; to put out (fire)".

How do you pronounce 熄?

熄 is pronounced xī, in the first tone (high and level).

What is the radical of 熄?

The radical of 熄 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 熄 under this radical.

Is 熄 on the HSK exam?

Yes. 熄 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 熄灭 and 灭?

灭 (miè) is the everyday verb and is common in phrases like 灭火 (mièhuǒ, to put out a fire). 熄灭 is a bit more formal or written and often describes a fire or light going out by itself.

Can 熄火 refer to a car?

Yes. 熄火 is often used when an engine stalls or is turned off, as in 车突然熄火了 (chē tūrán xīhuǒ le, the car suddenly stalled).

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