袭 meaning and stroke order
To attack, to raid; to inherit
How to write 袭, 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 袭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to raid; to attack
- (bound form) to continue the pattern; to perpetuate
- (literary) classifier for suits of clothing or sets of bedding
How 袭 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dragon.
龙 gives the meaning and 衣 hints at the sound.
Radical: 龙 (dragon), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 袭
A dragon 龙 (lóng) sits on top of clothing 衣 (yī). Picture a dragon swooping down to raid a pile of clothes, which gives you 袭 (xí), to attack or raid.
袭 (xí) almost always appears in compounds rather than alone. The most common is 袭击 (xíjī), to attack, often a sudden attack. It also shows up in 抄袭 (chāoxí), to plagiarize, and in news words like 空袭 (kōngxí), air raid. Example: 台风明天来袭。(Táifēng míngtiān láixí.) The typhoon will strike tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 衣 on top and 龙 below, or mix 袭 up with 装 (zhuāng), which also has 衣 at the bottom. Remember that the dragon 龙 always sits on top in 袭.
Common words with 袭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 袭击 | xíjī | attack (esp. surprise attack); raid | HSK 7-9 |
| 抄袭 | chāoxí | to plagiarize; to copy | HSK 7-9 |
| 世袭 | shìxí | succession; inheritance | HSK 7-9 |
| 突袭 | tūxí | to raid; to storm; surprise attack | |
| 偷袭 | tōuxí | to mount a sneak attack; to raid | |
| 空袭 | kōngxí | to make an air raid | |
| 恐怖袭击 | kǒngbùxíjī | terrorist attack | |
| 来袭 | láixí | to invade; (of a storm etc) to strike | |
| 侵袭 | qīnxí | to invade; to assail | |
| 袭击者 | xíjīzhě | attacker | |
| 袭警 | xíjǐng | to assault a police officer | |
| 遇袭 | yùxí | to suffer attack; to be ambushed | |
| 奇袭 | qíxí | surprise attack; raid |
袭 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 袭
How many strokes are in 袭?
袭 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 袭 mean?
袭 (xí) means to attack, to raid; to inherit. A common word with it is 袭击 (xíjī), meaning "attack (esp. surprise attack); raid".
How do you pronounce 袭?
袭 is pronounced xí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 袭?
The radical of 袭 is 龙, which carries the idea of "dragon". Dictionaries list 袭 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 袭?
The traditional form of 袭 is 襲. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 袭 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 袭 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 袭 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 袭 used to mean inherit or continue?
This sense appears in words like 世袭 (shìxí), hereditary succession, and 沿袭 (yánxí), to carry on an old practice. It means passing something down or keeping a pattern going, not attacking.
Can 袭 be used as a measure word?
Yes, in literary Chinese 袭 can count suits of clothing or sets of bedding, as in 一袭长裙 (yì xí cháng qún), a long dress. You will mostly see this in written or poetic language, not everyday speech.