息 is a Chinese character with HSK 1 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
息 is a compound of 自 (originally a pictograph of a nose, the ancient graph for 'self') over 心 (heart). The earliest forms show breath issuing from the nose down toward the heart, depicting the act of breathing. The character is a semantic compound built from these two body parts rather than a single pictograph.
Form evolution
In bronze and seal forms the 自 on top clearly retains its nose shape with internal strokes, sitting above a rounded 心. Clerical script flattened 自 into the squared four-stroke form seen today and regularised 心 into its modern four-dot-and-hook shape. The modern 楷书 form preserves the 自-over-心 stacking without further structural change.
How the meaning evolved
The original sense was 'breath' or 'to breathe', which extended naturally to 'rest' (to pause and catch one's breath) and then to 'cease' or 'stop'. From 'rest' it further extended to 'news' or 'message' (information that travels during a pause from activity) and to 'interest' on money (something that grows while capital rests). Modern Mandarin keeps all of these strands: 休息 xiūxi 'rest', 消息 xiāoxi 'news', 利息 lìxī 'interest'.
Cultural note
The idiom 息息相关 xīxī xiāngguān, literally 'breath-by-breath mutually connected', uses the original breathing sense to describe things that are inseparably linked. Learners often forget that 息 can also mean 'child' or 'offspring' (子息), a sense preserved in classical and legal Chinese.
Basic info
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #473 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 息
On the new HSK 1 exam
Studying for HSK 1? Keep 息 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.