Meaning of 消息
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (piece of) news; information
- message
Measure word: 條|条
How to use 消息
消息 is a common noun for news or a message, often personal news someone passes on, and it is measured with 个 (gè) or 条 (tiáo). It also means a text or chat message on apps like WeChat. Example: 我有一个好消息。(Wǒ yǒu yí gè hǎo xiāoxi.) I have some good news.
消 (xiāo) has the water radical 氵 and suggests something fading away, while 息 (xī) shows 自 (self, nose) over 心 (heart), like breath. Think of news as a breath of information that spreads and then fades.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 消息 (xiāoxi) with 信息 (xìnxī). 消息 is more everyday news or a message to someone, while 信息 is more formal data or information. Also note that 息 is usually read in the neutral tone here, so say xiāoxi, not xiāo xī with full stress.
消息 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.
消 xiāo · to diminish · 10 strokes
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息 xī · to end · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 消息.
| 休息 | xiūxi | rest; to rest |
| 信息 | xìnxī | information; news; message |
| 消失 | xiāoshī | to disappear; to fade away |
| 取消 | qǔxiāo | to cancel; to call off; to revoke; to rescind |
| 消费 | xiāofèi | to consume (goods and services, resources etc) |
| 利息 | lìxī | interest (on a loan) |
| 消化 | xiāohuà | to digest (food); (fig.) to absorb (information etc); to assimilate; to process |
| 消除 | xiāochú | to eliminate; to remove |
| 消防 | xiāofáng | firefighting; fire control |
| 消毒 | xiāodú | to disinfect; to sterilize |
| 消极 | xiāojí | negative; passive |
| 消费者 | xiāofèizhě | consumer |
Questions about 消息
What does 消息 mean?
消息 (xiāoxi) means "(piece of) news; information; message" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 消息?
消息 is made of 2 characters: 消 (10 strokes), 息 (10 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 消息 an HSK word?
Yes. 消息 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say 'no news' or 'I haven't heard anything' with 消息?
You can say 没有消息 (méiyǒu xiāoxi), meaning there is no news. For waiting on someone, people say 他还没有消息 (Tā hái méiyǒu xiāoxi), meaning there is no word from him yet.
Can 消息 mean a text message on my phone?
Yes. 发消息 (fā xiāoxi) means to send a message, and 回消息 (huí xiāoxi) means to reply to a message. It is very common when talking about WeChat or other chat apps.