牺 xī to sacrifice
to sacrifice; to give up; to die for a cause
怎么记住“牺”: 牜 cow + 西 west = to sacrifice. The farmer sells his last cow at the west market for his daughter's school, ready to sacrifice.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
originally 牛 + 羲
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
牺 = 牜 cow + 西 west
- 牜 cow meaning
- 西 west shape only
The farmer sells his last cow at the west market for his daughter's school, ready to sacrifice.
How it came to be
In the full form, the cow gives the meaning and a second part the sound; the word first meant an animal offered in the temple of the ancestors.
用法
- Occurs in 牺牲 (xīshēng): to sacrifice, to give up something valued (牺牲个人利益 to sacrifice personal interests), or to die for a cause (为国牺牲 to die for one's country).
- Originally the pure-colored beast offered in sacrifice; now the abstract 'sacrifice' sense dominates.