始 (shǐ): to begin
始 (shǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “to begin.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 女 (semantic) and 台 (phonetic). It ranks #381 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 始 woman. Its radical form 女 (woman) appears in many related characters such as 女 (nǚ, woman), 奶 (nǎi, grandmother, milk), 她 (tā, she).
Definitions
- to begin
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 始
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 开始verb/noun | kāi shǐ | to begin | 2 |
| 始终noun/adverb | shǐ zhōng | from beginning to end | 5 |
| 原始adjective | yuán shǐ | first | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 创始人noun | chuàng shǐ rén | creator |
| 自始至终adverb | zì shǐ zhì zhōng | from start to finish (idiom) |
| 初始noun | chū shǐ | initial |
| 始作俑者phrase | shǐ zuò yǒng zhě | (lit.) the first person to make funerary figurines (idiom) |
| 初始化verb | chū shǐ huà | (computing) to initialize |
| 有始有终phrase | yǒu shǐ yǒu zhōng | where there's a start, there's a finish (idiom) |
| 起始verb | qǐ shǐ | to originate |
| 始终如一phrase | shǐ zhōng rú yī | unswerving from start to finish (idiom) |
| 创始verb | chuàng shǐ | to initiate |
| 善始善终 | shàn shǐ shàn zhōng | where there's a start, there's a finish (idiom) |
| 始末noun | shǐ mò | whole story |
| 周而复始phrase | zhōu ér fù shǐ | lit. the cycle comes back to the start (idiom) |
| 始祖noun | shǐ zǔ | primogenitor |
| 始料未及phrase | shǐ liào wèi jí | not expected at the outset (idiom) |
| 伊始verb | yī shǐ | outset |
始 appears in 59 compound words: 29 as the first character, 34 as the last, and 37 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 始 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (16)
Alternative name for 秦始皇 (Qín Shǐhuáng, “Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China”).
the tomb of the first emperor at Mt Li 驪山|骊山 near Xi'an (awaits excavation)
to remain the same all along; to be consistent throughout without change
the initiator of a bad practice; the creator of a bad precedent; the person who started a bad or undesirable event
to have a beginning but not an end; to start something but fail to carry it through; to begin well but end badly
to have a beginning and an end; to carry something through the end; steadfast to the end
Alternative name for 秦始皇 (Qín Shǐhuáng, “Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China”).
the tomb of the first emperor at Mt Li 驪山|骊山 near Xi'an (awaits excavation)
Showing 12 of 16 idioms containing 始.
Example Sentences
会议将在上午九点开始，请大家准时到场。
Huìyì jiāng zài shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn kāishǐ, qǐng dàjiā zhǔnshí dàochǎng.
The meeting will begin at 9 AM; please arrive on time.
赖总统:感谢柯建铭25年来始终站在第一线 完成交棒传承致上最高敬意
lài zǒng tǒng : gǎn xiè 柯 jiàn míng 2 5 nián lái shǐ zhōng zhàn zài dì yī xiàn wán chéng jiāo bàng chuán chéng zhì shàng zuì gāo jìng yì
President Lai: Thank you Ke Jianming for standing on the front line for 25 years and completing the handover of the baton, and I would like to express my highest respect
计程车运将400元赞助选新北 李四川还原始末
jì chéng chē yùn jiāng 4 0 0 yuán zàn zhù xuǎn xīn běi lǐ sì chuān hái yuán shǐ mò
Taxi transport will sponsor 400 yuan to choose New Taipei Li Sichuan is still the original end
娱乐抢先看/始源8字贴文挺尹锡悦掀论战、逸祥探望山猪父...
yú lè qiǎng xiān kàn shǐ yuán 8 zì tiē wén tǐng 尹 xī yuè xiān lùn zhàn , yì xiáng tàn wàng shān zhū fù . . .
Entertainment sneak peek/Siyuan 8-word post supports Yoon Suk-yeol's debate, Yixiang visits the pig's father...
...026年米兰-科尔蒂纳冬奥会闭幕式正式开始
. . . 0 2 6 nián mǐ lán kē ěr dì nà dōng ào huì bì mù shì zhèng shì kāi shǐ
... The closing ceremony of the 026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics officially began
...伊��第二轮间接谈判17日在瑞士日内瓦开始举行
. . . yī dì èr lún jiān jiē tán pàn rì zài ruì shì rì nèi wǎ kāi shǐ jǔ háng
... Second Round of Indirect Negotiations Begins in Geneva, Switzerland on 17th of October
那个演奏会几点开始？
Nàge yǎnzòu huì jǐdiǎn kāishǐ?
What time is the concert?
让我们开始翻译吧！
Ràng wǒmen kāishǐ fānyì ba!
Let's start the translation!
千里之行，始于足下。
Qiānlǐzhīxíng, shǐyúzúxià.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
霜还没有开始溶化。
Shuāng hái méiyǒu kāishǐ rónghuà.
The hoarfrost hasn't yet begun to thaw.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 始 (shǐ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 始 and 终?
How many strokes does 始 have?
What is the radical of 始?
What are the components of 始?
What are common words containing 始?
What characters sound the same as 始 (shǐ)?
Is 始 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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