饲 meaning and stroke order
To raise animals; to nourish, to feed
How to write 饲, stroke by stroke
8 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 饲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to raise
- to rear
- to feed
- old variant of 飼|饲[si4]
How 饲 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Food.
饣 gives the meaning and 司 hints at the sound.
Radical: 饣 (food), shared by 43 characters on this site.
How to remember 饲
The left side 饣 is the food radical, and the right side 司 (sī) gives the sound and means "to be in charge." Picture someone in charge of food for the animals: that is 饲 (sì), to feed or raise them.
饲 (sì) is mostly used in compound words about animals, not people. The most common are 饲养 (sìyǎng) to raise and 饲料 (sìliào) feed or fodder. Example: 他在农村饲养了很多鸡。(Tā zài nóngcūn sìyǎng le hěn duō jī.) He raises a lot of chickens in the countryside.
Common mistake: Learners often read 饲 as sī because of its phonetic part 司 (sī), but 饲 is fourth tone, sì. Also, do not use 饲 for feeding people or babies. Use 喂 (wèi) for that.
Common words with 饲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 饲
How many strokes are in 饲?
饲 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 饲 mean?
饲 (sì) means to raise animals; to nourish, to feed. A common word with it is 饲料 (sìliào), meaning "feed; fodder".
How do you pronounce 饲?
饲 is pronounced sì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 饲?
The radical of 饲 is 饣, which carries the idea of "food". Dictionaries list 饲 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 饲?
The traditional form of 饲 is 飤 and 飼. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 饲 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 饲 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 饲 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 饲养 and 养?
养 (yǎng) is the everyday word and works for pets, animals, and even children. 饲养 (sìyǎng) is more formal and technical, and is used for livestock, farming, or zoo animals.
Can 饲 be used by itself as a verb?
In modern speech it is rarely used alone. People say 喂 (wèi) for to feed in daily life, and keep 饲 inside words like 饲养 and 饲料.