襲 meaning and stroke order
To attack, to raid; to inherit
How to write 襲, stroke by stroke
22 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 襲
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 襲 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dragon.
龍 gives the meaning and 衣 hints at the sound.
Radical: 衣 (cloth), shared by 33 characters on this site.
How to remember 襲
襲 (xí) stacks a dragon 龍 on top of clothing 衣. Picture a dragon swooping down onto someone's robes in a sudden raid, or a dragon robe handed down through a royal family, which covers both 'attack' and 'inherit'.
Today 襲 mostly appears in compound words. In the attack sense you see 袭击 (xíjī), 偷袭 (tōuxí) and 空袭 (kōngxí), and in the 'carry on a pattern' sense you see 世袭 (shìxí) and 抄袭 (chāoxí). Example: 台风今晚来袭。(Táifēng jīnwǎn láixí.) The typhoon will strike tonight.
Common mistake: Learners often read 襲 as lóng because of the big 龍 on top, but the character is pronounced xí. Also, the simplified form 袭 keeps 龙 over 衣, so do not mix it up with 装 (zhuāng), which has 壮 over 衣.
Common words with 襲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 襲擊 | xíjī | attack (esp. surprise attack); raid | HSK 7-9 |
| 抄襲 | chāoxí | to plagiarize; to copy | HSK 7-9 |
| 世襲 | shìxí | succession; inheritance | HSK 7-9 |
| 突襲 | tūxí | to raid; to storm; surprise attack | |
| 偷襲 | tōuxí | to mount a sneak attack; to raid | |
| 空襲 | kōngxí | to make an air raid | |
| 恐怖襲擊 | kǒngbùxíjī | terrorist attack | |
| 來襲 | láixí | to invade; (of a storm etc) to strike | |
| 侵襲 | qīnxí | to invade; to assail | |
| 襲擊者 | xíjīzhě | attacker | |
| 襲警 | xíjǐng | to assault a police officer | |
| 遇襲 | yùxí | to suffer attack; to be ambushed | |
| 奇襲 | qíxí | surprise attack; raid |
Questions about 襲
How many strokes are in 襲?
襲 is written with 22 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 襲 mean?
襲 (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 襲?
襲 is pronounced xí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 襲?
The radical of 襲 is 衣, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 襲 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 襲?
襲 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 袭, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 抄袭 mean plagiarize if 襲 means attack?
襲 also has the sense of continuing or following an existing pattern. 抄袭 combines 抄 (to copy) with that sense, so it means copying someone else's work as your own.
Can 襲 be used as a measure word for clothes?
Yes, in literary Chinese it counts suits of clothing or sets of bedding, as in 一袭长裙 (yì xí chángqún), a long dress. It sounds elegant and is mostly found in writing, not everyday speech.