示 (shì): to show, to reveal
示 (shì) is a Chinese character meaning “to show.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 二 (structural) and 小 (structural). It ranks #425 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 示 an altar. Its radical form 礻 (spirit) appears in many related characters such as 票 (piào, ticket), 视 (shì, (literary, or bound form) to look at), 礼 (lǐ, abbr. for 禮記|礼记, Classic of Rites).
Definitions
- to show
- to reveal
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 示 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 示
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 显示verb | xiǎn shì | to show | 5 |
| 展示verb | zhǎn shì | to reveal | 5 |
| 表示 | biǎo shì | (of sb) to express | 4 |
| 暗示verb | àn shì | to hint | 6 |
| 指示verb/noun | zhǐ shì | to point out | 6 |
| 提示verb | tí shì | to point out | 6 |
| 出示verb | chū shì | to show | 6 |
| 示范verb | shì fàn | to demonstrate | 6 |
| 启示verb/noun | qǐ shì | to reveal | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 演示 | yǎn shì | to demonstrate |
| 示威 | shì wēi | to demonstrate (as a protest) |
| 揭示 | jiē shì | to reveal |
| 预示 | yù shì | to indicate |
| 启示录 | qǐ shì lù | the Revelation of St John the divine |
| 示意 | shì yì | to hint |
| 告示 | gào shi | announcement |
| 显示器 | xiǎn shì qì | display device |
| 警示 | jǐng shì | to warn |
| 示威者 | shì wēi zhě | demonstrator |
| 标示 | biāo shì | to indicate |
| 请示 | qǐng shì | to ask for instructions |
| 示意图 | shì yì tú | sketch |
| 示众 | shì zhòng | to publicly expose |
| 示弱 | shì ruò | not to fight back |
示 appears in 83 compound words: 25 as the first character, 46 as the last, and 29 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 示 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
这个手势表示什么意思？我不太明白。
Zhè gè shǒushì biǎoshì shénme yìsi? Wǒ bù tài míngbai.
What does this gesture mean? I don't quite understand.
威科夫接受专访透露 奉川普指示会晤伊朗前王储
wēi kē fū jiē shòu zhuān fǎng tòu lù fèng chuān pǔ zhǐ shì huì wù yī lǎng qián wáng chǔ
Wyckoff revealed in an exclusive interview that he was instructed by Trump to meet with the former crown prince of Iran
也门安全部队向反政府示威者开火 造成至少12人伤亡
yě mén ān quán bù duì xiàng fǎn zhèng fǔ shì wēi zhě kāi huǒ zào chéng zhì shǎo 1 2 rén shāng wáng
Yemeni security forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrators, killing at least 12 people
年轻人先过上AI新生活 AI应用数据显示使用“一句..
nián qīng rén xiān guò shǎng xīn shēng huó yīng yòng shǔ jù xiǎn shì shǐ yòng yī gōu . .
Young people live new AI lives first AI app data shows use of 'one sentence...
列国鉴|记者观察:食品贴上警示标签 智利欲全民瘦身..
liè guó jiàn jì zhě guàn chá shí pǐn tiē shǎng jǐng shì biāo qiān zhì lì yù quán mín shòu shēn . .
International Insights | Journalist's Perspective: Chile Aims for Nationwide Weight Loss with Warning Labels on Food Products..
泽连斯基表示遭袭击越多越难达成协议
zé lián sī jī biǎo shì zāo xí jī yuè duō yuè nán dá chéng xié yì
Zelenskyy stated that the more attacks there are, the harder it becomes to reach an agreement.
这个消息预示着什么？
Zhège xiāoxi yùshì zhe shénme?
What does this news augur?
他的话暗示着什么？
Tā de huà ànshì zhe shénme?
What do his words imply?
为什么你要对你没做过的事表示抱歉？
Wèishénme nǐ yào duì nǐ méi zuò guo de shì biǎoshì bàoqiàn?
Why say sorry for something you haven't even done?
错误是如何显示出来的？
Cuòwù shì rúhé xiǎnshì chūlái de?
How is the error observed?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 示 (shì) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 示 have?
What is the radical of 示?
What are the components of 示?
What are common words containing 示?
What characters sound the same as 示 (shì)?
Is 示 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 示 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.