隙 (xì): crack, crevice, gap or interval
隙 (xì) is a Chinese character meaning “crack.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 阝 (structural), 小 (structural), 日 (structural) and 小 (structural). It ranks #2341 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 隙 a crack 日 dividing two things 小; 阝 provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 阝 (mound) appears in many related characters such as 那 (nà, (specifier) that), 都 (dōu, all), 院 (yuàn, courtyard).
Definitions
- crack
- crevice
- gap or interval
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA crack 日 dividing two things 小; 阝 provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰阝⿱小⿱日小 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 隙 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 缝隙noun | fèng xì | small crack |
| 空隙noun | kòng xì | crack |
| 间隙noun | jiàn xì | interval |
| 裂隙noun | liè xì | gap |
| 罅隙noun | xià xì | gap |
| 嫌隙noun | xián xì | hostility |
| 乘隙verb | chéng xì | to seize an opportunity |
| 孔隙 | kǒng xì | pore (geology) |
| 白驹过隙phrase | bái jū guò xì | a white steed flits past a crack (idiom) |
| 云隙光 | yún xì guāng | crepuscular rays |
| 气隙 | qì xì | air vent |
| 冰隙noun | bīng xì | crevasse |
| 仇隙 | chóu xì | feud |
| 观衅伺隙 | guān xìn sì xì | lit. to look for holes, and observe gaps (idiom) |
| 隙缝 | xì fèng | aperture |
隙 appears in 18 compound words: 6 as the first character, 89 as the last, and 6 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 隙 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (2)
Showing 1 of 2 idioms containing 隙.
Example Sentences
这个隙字的意思与它的部首有关。
zhè gě xì zì de yì sī yú tā de bù shǒu yǒu guān .
The meaning of the character "隙" is related to its radical.
宁波余姚菜市场摊主陈慧,于摆摊谋生的间隙伏案写作。
nìng bō yú 姚 cài shì chǎng tān zhǔ chén huì , yú bǎi tān móu shēng de jiān xì fú àn xiě zuò .
Chen Hui, a vendor at the Yuyao Market in Ningbo, writes at her desk in between running her market stall.
他们成功研发出了一种有兼容性、耐候性和流动性的材料,适宜于微小裂隙灌浆和残缺补型。
tā men chéng gōng yán fā chū le yī zhǒng yǒu jiān róng xìng , nài hòu xìng hé liú dòng xìng de cái liào , shì yí yú wēi xiǎo liè xì guàn jiāng hé cán quē bǔ xíng .
They have successfully developed a material that is compatible, weather-resistant, and fluid, making it suitable for grouting microcracks and repairing damaged molds.
菜市场就像岩壁上的青松,能在碎石缝隙中深扎根系。
cài shì chǎng jiù xiàng yán bì shàng de qīng sōng , néng zài suì shí féng xì zhōng shēn zhā gēn xì .
The farmers' market is like a pine tree on a cliff face, able to sink its roots deep into the cracks between the rocks.
比如西兰花、菜花、木耳都不太好清洗,缝隙中还可能有泥土和虫卵。
bǐ rú xī lán huā , cài huā , mù ěr dōu bù tài hǎo qīng xǐ , féng xì zhōng hái kě néng yǒu ní tǔ hé chóng luǎn .
For example, broccoli, cauliflower, and wood ear mushrooms can be difficult to wash, and there may be dirt and insect eggs in their crevices.
...东男情绪不稳坐初来桥边护栏 警耐心沟通趁隙拉回桥面
. . . dōng nán qíng xù bù wěn zuò chū lái qiáo biān hù lán jǐng nài xīn gōu tōng chèn xì lā huí qiáo miàn
... Dongnan was emotionally unstable, sitting on the guardrail by the bridge when he first came, and the police patiently communicated and took advantage of the opportunity to pull back the bridge deck
请小心月台与车厢之间的空隙。
Qǐng xiǎoxīn yuètái yǔ chēxiāng zhījiān de kòngxì.
Please mind the gap between the train and the platform.
在伦敦地铁,上车时会有「注意间隙」提醒。
Zài Lúndūn dìtiě, shàngchē shí huì yǒu 「 zhùyì jiànxì 」 tíxǐng.
In the London underground there is a warning to "mind the gap" when boarding the train.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 隙 (xì)?
Is 隙 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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