细 (xì): thin, detailed
细 (xì) is a Chinese character meaning “thin, detailed.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 纟 (semantic) and 田 (phonetic). It ranks #597 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 细 silk. Its radical form 纟 (silk) appears in many related characters such as 系 (xì, to connect), 累 (lèi, tired), 绍 (shào, to continue).
Definitions
- thin, detailed
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 细 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 细
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 仔细adjective | zǐ xì | careful | 4 |
| 细节noun | xì jié | details | 5 |
| 详细adjective | xiáng xì | detailed | 4 |
| 细胞noun | xì bāo | cell (biology) | 6 |
| 细菌noun | xì jūn | bacterium | 6 |
| 细心adjective | xì xīn | meticulous | 4 |
| 细致adjective | xì zhì | delicate | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 干细胞noun | gàn xì bāo | stem cell |
| 细微adjective | xì wēi | tiny |
| 底细noun | dǐ xì | inside information |
| 癌细胞noun | ái xì bāo | cancer cell |
| 细小adjective | xì xiǎo | tiny |
| 脑细胞noun | nǎo xì bāo | brain cell |
| 细腻adjective | xì nì | (of skin etc) smooth |
| 白细胞noun | bái xì bāo | white blood cell |
| 奸细noun | jiān xi | a spy |
| 精细adjective | jīng xì | fine |
| 纤细adjective | xiān xì | fine |
| 红细胞noun | hóng xì bāo | erythrocyte |
| 细说verb | xì shuō | to tell in detail |
| 细语verb | xì yǔ | to chat with a low voice |
| 血细胞noun | xuè xì bāo | blood cell |
细 appears in 100 compound words: 58 as the first character, 19 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 细 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (24)
(lit.) fine sculpting (idiom); (fig.) to work (at sth) with extreme care and precision
(lit.) fine sculpting (idiom); (fig.) to work (at sth) with extreme care and precision
Showing 12 of 24 idioms containing 细.
Example Sentences
这份报告写得很详细，每个环节都有具体的说明。
Zhè fèn bàogào xiě de hěn xiángxì, měi gè huánjié dōu yǒu jùtǐ de shuōmíng.
This report is written in great detail, with specific explanations for each step.
美官员据报称若收到伊朗详细方案美方准备再与伊方举行核谈判
měi guān yuán jù bào chèn ruò shōu dào yī lǎng xiáng xì fāng àn měi fāng zhǔn bèi zài yǔ yī fāng jǔ háng hé tán pàn
U.S. officials reportedly stated that if they receive a detailed proposal from Iran, the U.S. is prepared to hold further nuclear talks with Iran.
爱泼斯坦案—安德鲁搬离皇家住所细节 曾用母亲作“挡箭牌”:我是女王次子
ài pō sī tǎn àn ān dé lǔ bān lí huáng jiā zhù suǒ xì jié céng yòng mǔ qīn zuò dǎng jiàn pái wǒ shì nǚ wáng cì zǐ
Epstein Case: Details Emerge of Andrew's Move from Royal Residence; Once Used Mother as "Shield": "I Am the Queen's Second Son"
...美琴发福袋顺便“练深蹲” 网赞:诚恳就在细节里
. . . měi qín fā fú dài shùn biàn liàn shēn cún wǎng zàn chéng kěn jiù zài xì jié lǐ
...Meiqin distributes lucky bags while "practicing squats" Netizens praise: Sincerity is in the details
谢京颖孕肚卸货倒数!怀双胞胎“四肢超细” 激瘦身材曝光
xiè jīng yǐng yùn dù xiè huò dǎo shǔ ! huái shuāng bāo tāi sì zhī chāo xì jī shòu shēn cái pù guāng
Xie Jingying's Pregnancy Countdown! Expecting Twins with "Ultra-Slim Limbs" Reveals Her Remarkably Slim Figure
...胎那么简单:比亚迪详解澳洲车型本地化调校细节,悬架更硬更偏欧规设定
. . . tāi nà má jiǎn dān bǐ yà dí xiáng jiě ào zhōu chē xíng běn dì huà diào jiào xì jié , xuán jià gēng yìng gēng piān ōu guī shè dìng
... Tire so simple: BYD explains the details of localized tuning of Australian models, the suspension is stiffer and more European settings
汤姆拒绝提供详细信息。
Tāngmǔ jùjué tígōng xiángxì xìnxī.
Tom declined to give details.
汤姆仔细地给玛丽解释。
Tāngmǔ zǐxì de gěi Mǎlì jiěshì.
Tom explained it to Mary very carefully.
心有猛虎，细嗅蔷薇。
Xīn yǒu měng hǔ, xì xiù qiángwēi.
In me the tiger sniffs the rose.
汤姆很仔细，不是么？
Tāngmǔ hěn zǐxì, bù shì me?
Tom is careful, isn't he?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 细 (xì) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 细 and 厚?
How many strokes does 细 have?
What is the radical of 细?
What are the components of 细?
What are common words containing 细?
What characters sound the same as 细 (xì)?
Is 细 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 细 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.