舍 (shě): to give up, to abandon, to give alms, (bound form) residence, house
舍 (shě) is a Chinese character meaning “to give up.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 人 (semantic) and 舌 (phonetic). It ranks #1336 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 舍 the shape of a roof. Its radical form 舌 (tongue) appears in many related characters such as 舒 (shū, to stretch), 舌 (shé, tongue), 舔 (tiǎn, to lick).
Definitions
- to give up
- to abandon
- to give alms
- (bound form) residence
- house
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 舍 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 舍
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 宿舍noun | sù shè | dormitory | 5 |
| 舍不得verb | shě bu de | to hate to do sth | 5 |
| 舍得verb | shě de | to be willing to part with sth | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 施舍noun | shī shě | to give in charity |
| 舍弃verb | shě qì | to give up |
| 农舍noun | nóng shè | farmhouse |
| 穷追不舍phrase | qióng zhuī bù shě | to pursue relentlessly |
| 寒舍noun | hán shè | my humble home |
| 费舍尔 | fèi shě ěr | (name) Fisher or Fischer |
| 校舍noun | xiào shè | school building |
| 香榭丽舍proper-noun | xiāng xiè lì shè | Champs Élysées |
| 舍命verb | shě mìng | to risk one's life |
| 割舍verb | gē shě | to give up |
| 取舍verb | qǔ shě | to select |
| 新斯科舍proper-noun | xīn sī kē shè | Nova Scotia province, Canada |
| 舍友noun | shè yǒu | dormitory roommate |
| 退避三舍phrase | tuì bì sān shè | (lit.) to retreat ninety li (idiom) |
| 鸡舍noun | jī shè | chicken coop |
舍 appears in 84 compound words: 31 as the first character, 52 as the last, and 17 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 舍 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (26)
to persevere; to continue doing something in a determined way and not give up
lit. to be interested exclusively in the acquisition of estate (idiom); fig. to have no lofty aspirations in life
to cherish wealth and find it hard to give up (idiom); refusing to contribute to charity; skinflint; miserly
lit. to be interested exclusively in the acquisition of estate (idiom); fig. to have no lofty aspirations in life
to persevere; to continue doing something in a determined way and not give up
Showing 12 of 26 idioms containing 舍.
Example Sentences
了解舍字的来源，有助于理解中国文化。
le xiè shě zì de lái yuán , yǒu zhù yú lǐ xiè zhōng guó wén huā .
Understanding the origin of the character "舍" helps to comprehend Chinese culture.
968所学校列第7级残旧!校舍安全再敲警钟
9 6 8 suǒ xué jiào liè dì 7 jí cán jiù ! jiào shě ān quán zài qiāo jǐng zhōng
968 schools are listed as Grade 7 dilapidated! School building safety sounded the alarm again
日本高龄评论家拒绝断舍离 杂物堆家中一招堵住女儿嘴
rì běn gāo líng píng lùn jiā jù jué duàn shě lí zá wù duī jiā zhōng yī zhāo dǔ zhù nǚ ér zuǐ
Japan's elderly critic refuses to break away from the clutter pile at home to block his daughter's mouth
牛池湾纪律部队宿舍天台梯间起火 50人疏散 警列纵火调查
niú chí wān jì lǜ bù duì sù shě tiān tái tī jiān qǐ huǒ 5 0 rén shū sàn jǐng liè zòng huǒ diào chá
A fire broke out in the roof stairwell of the Niuchiwan Disciplined Forces dormitory, 50 people were evacuated, and the police arson investigation was conducted
牛池湾纪律部队宿舍失火 近天台后楼梯垃圾桶焚毁
niú chí wān jì lǜ bù duì sù shě shī huǒ jìn tiān tái hòu lóu tī lā jī tǒng fén huǐ
A fire broke out in the Niu Chi Wan Disciplined Forces dormitory and burned the trash can on the back stairs near the roof
牛池湾纪律部队宿舍天台失火 救熄起因待查
niú chí wān jì lǜ bù duì sù shě tiān tái shī huǒ jiù xī qǐ yīn dài chá
The roof of the Niuchiwan Disciplined Forces dormitory caught fire, and the cause of the extinguishing was to be investigated
附近有没有青年旅舍？
Fùjìn yǒuméiyǒu qīngniánlǚshè?
Is there a youth hostel near here?
明天晚上我们都去宿舍玩儿，你能不能去？
Míngtiān wǎnshang wǒmen dōu qù sùshè wánr, nǐ néng bù néng qù?
We will all be playing in the dormitory tomorrow night, can you come?
你习惯在宿舍生活了吗？
Nǐ xíguàn zài sùshè shēnghuó le ma?
Are you used to living in the dorms?
世界需要的是公正，不是施舍。
Shìjiè xūyào de shì gōngzhèng, bù shì shīshě.
It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.
Character Family
舌 Radical Family — Characters sharing the tongue radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 舍 (shě) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 舍 and 下?
How many strokes does 舍 have?
What is the radical of 舍?
What are the components of 舍?
What are common words containing 舍?
What characters sound the same as 舍 (shě)?
Is 舍 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 舍 with real-time feedback
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