Meaning of 事
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- matter
- thing
- item
- work
- affair
Measure word: 件,樁|桩,回
How to use 事
事 (shì) means a matter, affair, or piece of business, and it appears in many everyday words like 事情 (shìqing), 同事 (tóngshì), and 故事 (gùshi). A very common phrase is asking if someone has something going on. 你有事吗？(Nǐ yǒu shì ma?) Do you have something you need?
Picture 事 (shì) as a hand holding a tall stick or tool upright through the middle. The long vertical stroke pierces every layer, like someone busy with a task, so think of it as "a hand at work on a matter."
Common mistake: Learners often break the long vertical stroke of 事 into pieces or end it with a flat stop. It runs from the top through the whole character and ends with a hook at the bottom. Also, do not confuse the fourth tone shì 事 with shí 十 (ten) or shǐ 使 (to use).
事 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
事 shì · matter · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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Related words
Words that share a character with 事.
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 事情 | shìqing | affair; matter; thing; business |
| 故事 | gùshi | old practice |
| 好事 | hǎoshì | good action, deed, thing or work (also sarcastic, "a fine thing indeed"); charity |
| 同事 | tóngshì | colleague; co-worker |
| 事实 | shìshí | fact |
| 事实上 | shìshíshang | in fact; in reality |
| 事件 | shìjiàn | incident; event |
| 事业 | shìyè | undertaking; project |
| 事故 | shìgù | accident |
| 本事 | běnshi | source material; original story |
| 从事 | cóngshì | to go for; to engage in |
Questions about 事
What does 事 mean?
事 (shì) means "matter; thing" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 事?
事 is made of 1 character: 事 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 事 an HSK word?
Yes. 事 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 没事 (méishì) mean when someone says it to me?
没事 or 没事儿 (méishìr) literally means "no matter" and is used like "it's nothing" or "no problem." People say it after you apologize or thank them, and it can also mean they are free and have nothing to do.
What is the difference between 事 (shì) and 东西 (dōngxi)?
Both can be translated as "thing," but 事 is an abstract thing, like an event, task, or situation. 东西 is a physical object you can hold. So 我有事 (wǒ yǒu shì) means "I have something to do," while 我有东西 means "I have some stuff."