Meaning of 吸引
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to attract; to appeal to; to fascinate
How to use 吸引
吸引 is a common verb for people, places, or things that draw attention or interest. It often appears as 吸引人 (attractive) or 吸引注意力 (to attract attention). Example: 这本书很吸引我。(Zhè běn shū hěn xīyǐn wǒ.) This book really appeals to me.
吸 (xī) means to inhale or suck in, as in 呼吸 (hūxī), and 引 (yǐn) means to pull or lead, as in 引导 (yǐndǎo). Something that attracts you seems to draw you in and pull you toward it.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 引 with an extra stroke or confuse it with 弓 (gōng), but 引 has a vertical line on the right. Another trap is saying 我吸引这本书 to mean "I am attracted to this book". The thing that attracts is the subject: 这本书吸引我, or 我被这本书吸引了.
吸引 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.
吸 xī · to breathe · 6 strokes
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- 2
- 3
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引 yǐn · to draw · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 吸引.
| 呼吸 | hūxī | to breathe |
| 引起 | yǐnqǐ | to give rise to; to lead to; to cause; to arouse |
| 吸烟 | xīyān | to smoke |
| 引导 | yǐndǎo | to guide; to lead (around) |
| 吸收 | xīshōu | to absorb; to assimilate |
| 引进 | yǐnjìn | to recommend; to introduce (from outside) |
| 吸管 | xīguǎn | (drinking) straw; pipette |
| 吸毒 | xīdú | to take drugs |
| 引擎 | yǐnqíng | engine (loanword) |
| 引发 | yǐnfā | to lead to; to trigger |
| 指引 | zhǐyǐn | to guide; to show |
| 引诱 | yǐnyòu | to coerce (sb into doing sth bad); to lure (into a trap) |
Questions about 吸引
What does 吸引 mean?
吸引 (xīyǐn) means "to attract; to appeal to; to fascinate" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 吸引?
吸引 is made of 2 characters: 吸 (6 strokes), 引 (4 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 吸引 an HSK word?
Yes. 吸引 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say someone is attractive using 吸引?
Say 他很有吸引力 (tā hěn yǒu xīyǐnlì), "he is very attractive", or 他很吸引人 (tā hěn xīyǐn rén). 吸引力 means attraction or appeal as a noun.
What is the difference between 吸引 and 引起?
吸引 means to draw someone in because something is appealing. 引起 (yǐnqǐ) means to cause or give rise to something, like 引起注意 (to arouse attention) or 引起问题 (to cause problems), and it does not need to be positive.