昔 xī the old days
past; former
How it came to be
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
The oldest form puts wavy lines above the sun: the sun stands for days gone by, and the wavy lines give the sound.
用法
- Former times, the past: 昔日 (xīrì) former days, 往昔 (wǎngxī) bygone times.
- Literary. Often paired against the present: 今非昔比 (jīnfēi-xībǐ), today can't be compared to the past, i.e. how things have changed.