侍 (shì): to serve, to attend upon
侍 (shì) is a Chinese character meaning “to serve.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 亻 (semantic) and 寺 (phonetic). It ranks #1852 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 侍 person. Its radical form 亻 (person) appears in many related characters such as 人 (rén, person), 什 (shén, what), 今 (jīn, now).
Definitions
- to serve
- to attend upon
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 侍 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 侍者noun | shì zhě | attendant |
| 服侍verb | fú shi | to attend to |
| 侍应verb | shì yìng | waiter |
| 侍应生noun | shì yìng shēng | waiter |
| 侍女noun | shì nǚ | maid |
| 侍卫noun | shì wèi | Imperial bodyguard |
| 侍从noun | shì cóng | to serve (an important personage) |
| 侍奉verb | shì fèng | to wait upon |
| 侍候verb | shì hòu | to serve |
| 侍郎noun | shì láng | (Ming and Qing dynasties) vice-minister of one of the Six Boards |
| 十常侍noun | shí cháng shì | Ten Permanent Functionaries at the end of Han, a byword for corruption |
| 侍从官 | shì cóng guān | aide-de-camp |
| 侍卫官 | shì wèi guān | guard |
| 侍立verb | shì lì | to stand by in attendance |
| 侍弄verb | shì nòng | to look after |
侍 appears in 20 compound words: 70 as the first character, 30 as the last, and 0 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 侍 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
这位老侍虽然年过八旬,但身体依然硬朗。
zhè wèi lǎo shì suī rán nián guò bā xún , dàn shēn tī yī rán yìng lǎng .
Though over eighty years old, this old servant remains in robust health.
其间融入原创宋代彩塑舞蹈,舞者水袖翩跹,再现圣母殿内侍女塑像仪态。
qí jiān róng rù yuán chuàng sòng dài cǎi sù wǔ dǎo , wǔ zhě shuǐ xiù 翩 跹 , zài xiàn shèng mǔ diàn nèi shì nǚ sù xiàng yí tài .
The performance incorporates an original dance inspired by Song Dynasty colored clay sculptures, with dancers’ flowing sleeves gracefully fluttering as they recreate the poise of the court ladies depicted in the statues within the Hall of the Holy Mother.
而在吕洞宾坐像两侧,二书童分侍,一位捧签,一位负剑。
ér zài lǚ dòng bīn zuò xiàng liǎng cè , èr shū tóng fēn shì , yī wèi pěng qiān , yī wèi fù jiàn .
On either side of the seated statue of Lü Dongbin, two young attendants stand in attendance—one holding a slip of paper, the other carrying a sword.
太平天国侍王府里藏着怎样的制墙秘方?
tài píng tiān guó shì wáng fǔ lǐ zàng zhe zěn yàng de zhì qiáng mì fāng ?
What secret formula for building walls was hidden in the residence of a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom prince?
...28.HK)下月起延长产假至90天 男士侍产假增至7天
. . . 2 8 . H K ) xià yuè qǐ yán cháng chǎn jiǎ zhì 9 0 tiān nán shì shì chǎn jiǎ zēng zhì 7 tiān
... 28.HK) Maternity leave will be extended to 90 days from next month, and paternity leave for men will be increased to 7 days
输入外劳前须本地实地招聘初级厨师及侍应 1500空缺仅9人受聘
shū rù wài láo qián xū běn dì shí dì zhāo pìn chū jí chú shī jí shì yīng 1 5 0 0 kōng quē jǐn 9 rén shòu pìn
Before importing foreign workers, local on-site recruitment of junior chefs and waiters 1500 vacancies only 9 people will be employed
在你侍酒前最好先将白葡萄酒冷却一下。
Zài nǐ shì jiǔ qián zuì hǎo xiān jiāng bái pútaojiǔ lěngquè yīxià.
It's better to chill white wine before you serve it.
没有人可以共侍二主。
Méiyǒurén kěyǐ gòng shì èr zhǔ.
No man can serve two masters.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 亻 (person) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 侍 (shì) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 侍 and 特?
How many strokes does 侍 have?
What is the radical of 侍?
What are the components of 侍?
What are common words containing 侍?
What characters sound the same as 侍 (shì)?
Is 侍 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 侍 with real-time feedback
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