晒 shài to dry in the sun
to dry in the sun; to expose to the sun; to bask in
How to remember 晒: 日 sun + 西 west = to dry in the sun. Grandma hangs the laundry where the afternoon sun shines in from the west, the best spot in the yard to dry in the sun.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
晒 = 日 sun + 西 west
- 日 sun
- 西 west
Grandma hangs the laundry where the afternoon sun shines in from the west, the best spot in the yard to dry in the sun.
How it came to be
In the full form the sun gives the meaning and the other part gives the sound.
How it is used
- Basic verb "to expose to sunlight", most often in 晒太阳 shài tàiyàng, "to sunbathe/bask in the sun": 老人喜欢在公园晒太阳 lǎorén xǐhuan zài gōngyuán shài tàiyàng.
- Also used passively for skin: 晒黑了 shàihēi le "got tanned", 晒伤了 shàishāng le "got sunburned".
- In casual internet/social-media speech 晒 has taken on the sense "to show off online, to post publicly": 晒照片 shài zhàopiàn, "to post photos" (flex on social media), so context decides between literal sun-drying and this slang sense.