ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to think; thought

9 strokes · 田 (originally 囟, the skull's soft spot) + 心 (heart) · HSK 2

Where 思 comes from

思's top isn't really a field — it began as 囟, the fontanel, the crown of a baby's skull. Skull above, heart 心 below: the ancient Chinese theory that thinking happens between head and heart, written as one character.

思 in Chinese culture

意思 'meaning' powers the untranslatable 不好意思 (embarrassed / excuse me) and 有意思 (interesting). 思念 is missing someone. Li Bai's 静夜思 'Quiet Night Thoughts' — moonlight mistaken for frost, head lowered, thinking of home — is the first poem every Chinese child learns.

Example

意思 yìsi — meaning

这是什么意思?
Zhè shì shénme yìsi?
What does this mean?

How to remember it

Skull on top, heart 心 below — THINKING with both.

小意思 'small meaning' is what you say handing over a gift — 'it's nothing'. 意思意思 doubled means a token gesture, often a red envelope. Meaning, in Chinese, is negotiable currency.

Same sound, different tones

1st sī
to think
3rd sǐ
to die
4th sì
four

Words unlocked by 思

意思 yìsi
meaning
有意思 yǒu yìsi
interesting
不好意思 bù hǎoyìsi
excuse me; embarrassed

Related characters

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