abbr. for Shijing 诗经, the Book of Songs

JLPT N5 8 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Overview

The character (shī) primarily means "poem" or "poetry" in modern Chinese. It is also an abbreviation for 《》 (Shījīng), the ancient Chinese classic known as the Book of Songs.

Usage in Conversation

When used in everyday speech, usually refers to individual poems or poetry as an art form. For example, people might say “” (read poetry) or “” (write poems).

Common Collocations

  • (shīgē): poetry or poems in general
  • (shīrén): poet
  • (Shījīng): the Book of Songs, a classical anthology

Nuances

Using often implies a literary or artistic context. It is more formal than words like “文章” (articles) or “故事” (stories). When referring to 《》, is a cultural and historical term.

Avoiding Confusion

Don’t confuse with (cí), which refers to a different classical Chinese poetic form. Also, is not used for prose or modern song lyrics.

This word is essential for discussing Chinese literature, classical culture, and poetry appreciation.

Example Sentences

He likes reading poems from the Tang dynasty.

This poem expresses the author's homesickness.

The Book of Songs is the earliest anthology of Chinese poetry.