璽 meaning and stroke order
Imperial signet, royal signet
How to write 璽, stroke by stroke
19 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 璽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ruler's seal
How 璽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Jade.
玉 gives the meaning and 爾 hints at the sound.
Radical: 玉 (jade), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 璽
璽 (xǐ) puts 爾 (ěr) on top of 玉 (yù, jade). Picture a seal carved from jade, the kind only an emperor would press onto a decree, with 爾 giving a hint of the sound.
璽 is a formal or historical word for a ruler's seal, common in history, museums, and dramas about imperial China. The everyday word for an ordinary seal or stamp is 印章 (yìnzhāng). Example: 玉璽 (yùxǐ), the imperial jade seal.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 璽 as ěr because of the 爾 on top, but the character is pronounced xǐ with a third tone. Also do not confuse the bottom 玉 with 王. Here the full 玉 keeps its dot.
Questions about 璽
How many strokes are in 璽?
璽 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 璽 mean?
璽 (xǐ) means imperial signet, royal signet.
How do you pronounce 璽?
璽 is pronounced xǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 璽?
The radical of 璽 is 玉, which carries the idea of "jade". Dictionaries list 璽 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 璽?
璽 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 玺, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How is 璽 written in simplified Chinese?
In mainland simplified Chinese it is written 玺, with 尔 on top of 玉. Both forms mean the same thing and share the pronunciation xǐ.
What does 傳國玉璽 mean?
傳國玉璽 (chuánguó yùxǐ) is the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, a famous jade seal said to have been passed from dynasty to dynasty. Holding it was treated as a symbol of legitimate rule.