膝 meaning and stroke order
Knee
How to write 膝, stroke by stroke
15 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 膝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- knee
- old variant of 膝[xi1]
How 膝 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 桼 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 膝
The left side ⺼ means flesh or body part, and the right side 桼 (qī) gives a sound hint. Picture the fleshy joint of your leg that bends when you sit: 膝 (xī), the knee.
On its own 膝 is a bit formal. In everyday speech people say 膝盖 (xīgài). Example: 我的膝盖很疼。(Wǒ de xīgài hěn téng.) My knee hurts a lot.
Common mistake: Learners often read 膝 as qī because of the phonetic part 桼 (qī). The correct reading is xī, first tone. Also, the right side is easy to miswrite as 漆 without the water radical, so count its parts carefully.
Common words with 膝
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 膝盖 | xīgài | knee; (Internet slang) to kneel down (in admiration) | HSK 7-9 |
| 卑躬屈膝 | bēigōngqūxī | to bow and bend the knee (idiom); fawning; bending and scraping to curry favor | |
| 膝下 | xīxià | at the knee (in reference to children); (salutation used in letters to parents or grandpar |
膝 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 膝
How many strokes are in 膝?
膝 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 膝 mean?
膝 (xī) means knee. A common word with it is 膝盖 (xīgài), meaning "knee; (Internet slang) to kneel down (in admiration)".
How do you pronounce 膝?
膝 is pronounced xī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 膝?
The radical of 膝 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 膝 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 膝?
The traditional form of 膝 is 厀. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 膝 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 膝 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 膝 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 膝盖 mean in internet slang?
Online, 膝盖 can mean kneeling down in admiration. People write things like 请收下我的膝盖 (qǐng shōu xià wǒ de xīgài), roughly "please accept my knees," to say they are deeply impressed.
What does 膝下 mean?
膝下 (xīxià) literally means "at the knee" and refers to having children or being with one's parents, as in 膝下无子 (xīxià wú zǐ), having no children. It was also used as a respectful salutation in letters to parents or grandparents.