丝 (sī): silk, thread-like thing, (cuisine) shreds or julienne strips, classifier: a trace (of smoke etc), a tiny bit etc
丝 (sī) is a Chinese character meaning “silk.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 一 (structural). It ranks #1025 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 丝 simplified form of 絲, two threads. Its radical form 一 (one) appears in many related characters such as 一 (yī, one), 七 (qī, seven), 三 (sān, three).
Definitions
- silk
- thread-like thing
- (cuisine) shreds or julienne strips
- classifier: a trace (of smoke etc), a tiny bit etc
Etymology & Origin
ideographicSimplified form of 絲, two threads
Stroke Order
Practice writing 丝 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 粉丝noun | fěn sī | bean vermicelli |
| 丝毫adjective | sī háo | the slightest amount or degree |
| 丝绸noun | sī chóu | silk (cloth) |
| 螺丝noun | luó sī | screw |
| 爱丽丝proper-noun | ài lì sī | (name) Alice |
| 蛛丝马迹phrase | zhū sī mǎ jì | lit. spider's thread and horse track |
| 铁丝网noun | tiě sī wǎng | wire netting |
| 丝带noun | sī dài | ribbon |
| 金丝雀noun | jīn sī què | canary |
| 保险丝noun | bǎo xiǎn sī | fuse wire |
| 螺丝刀noun | luó sī dāo | screwdriver |
| 钢丝noun | gāng sī | steel wire |
| 铁丝noun | tiě sī | iron wire |
| 一丝不苟verb | yī sī bù gǒu | not one thread loose (idiom) |
| 丝绒noun | sī róng | velvet |
丝 appears in 102 compound words: 25 as the first character, 53 as the last, and 23 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 丝 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (18)
lit. lotus roots may break, but the fiber remains joined (idiom); lovers part, but still long for one another
(lit.) string and wind instruments (idiom); (fig.) traditional Chinese ensemble music
to spin a cocoon around oneself (idiom); enmeshed in a trap of one's own devising; hoist with his own petard
(lit.) string and wind instruments (idiom); (fig.) traditional Chinese ensemble music
to spin a cocoon around oneself (idiom); enmeshed in a trap of one's own devising; hoist with his own petard
Showing 12 of 18 idioms containing 丝.
Example Sentences
丝字虽然难写，但意思很有趣。
sī zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character for "silk" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
...抚地八日湿 元宵雷动云掩月 惊蛰前后飘轻丝
. . . fǔ dì bā rì shī yuán xiāo léi dòng yún yǎn yuè jīng 蛰 qián hòu piāo qīng sī
... Eight days of wet Lantern Festival, thunder and clouds cover the moon, and light silk flutters before and after
...旅毒杀2男!韩国蛇蝎美人照片曝光 IG粉丝暴涨50倍
. . . lǚ dú shā 2 nán ! hán guó shé 蝎 měi rén zhào piàn pù guāng I G fěn sī bào zhǎng 5 0 bèi
... Brigade poisoned 2 men! Korean femme fatale photos exposed IG fans soared 50 times
王菲连两年春晚开唱!粉丝敲碗办演唱会 宽姐松口了
wáng 菲 lián liǎng nián chūn wǎn kāi chàng ! fěn sī qiāo wǎn bàn yǎn chàng huì kuān jiě sōng kǒu le
Faye Wong has been singing at the Spring Festival Gala for two consecutive years! Fans knocked on the bowl to hold a concert, and Sister Kuan let go
周吉佩新春团拜 三地粉丝聚首一堂庆祝
zhōu jí pèi xīn chūn tuán bài sān dì fěn sī jù shǒu yī táng qìng zhù
Zhou Jipei's New Year group visit Fans from the three places gathered together to celebrate
氦气流动异常 阿提米丝2号绕月再推迟
氦 qì liú dòng yì cháng ā tí mǐ sī 2 hào rào yuè zài tuī chí
Helium flow is abnormal Artemis 2 orbit the moon and is postponed again
汤姆和露丝订婚了。
Tāngmǔ hé Lùsī dìnghūn le.
Tom is engaged to Ruth.
简的美丽丝毫不逊色于她母亲。
Jiǎn de měilì sīháo bù xùnsè yú tā mǔqīn.
Jane is no less beautiful than her mother.
他消失了，不留一丝踪迹。
Tā xiāoshī le, bù liú yī sī zōngjì.
He vanished without a trace.
我是足球的忠实粉丝。
Wǒ shì zúqiú de zhōngshí fěnsī.
I'm a big football fan.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 丝 (sī) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 丝 have?
What is the radical of 丝?
What are the components of 丝?
What are common words containing 丝?
What characters sound the same as 丝 (sī)?
Is 丝 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 丝 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.