How to Write 伺 (cì/sì) — Meaning “to wait upon; to watch for”

Imagine a person (亻) standing by a clock (like 司 looks a bit like a clock face) and waiting for the right time to serve or act. The mnemonic 'a person watching the clock' helps you recall both meanings of 伺: to serve and to watch for an opportunity.

First write the left radical 亻 as two strokes: a vertical line then a left-falling stroke. Then write the right part 司: start with a horizontal stroke, then a left vertical stroke, then a right vertical stroke, and finally a horizontal stroke at the bottom. A common mistake is making the 亻 too wide or misaligning the horizontal strokes in 司.

Visually, 伺 has the right part 司 (a square-like shape), while 仔 has 子 (child) and 仕 has 士 (scholar). In meaning, 伺 is about waiting or serving, 仔 means young or small (as in 仔仔), and 仕 means to be an official (as in 仕途). Remember: 司 for service, 子 for child, 士 for scholar.

伺 has two pronunciations: cì in 伺候 (to serve, wait upon) and sì in 伺机 (to watch for an opportunity) and 窥伺 (to spy on). It appears in formal or literary expressions, not everyday speech. For example, in historical dramas you might hear 伺候 meaning 'attend to someone's needs.'

Common words containing 伺 include: 伺机 (sì jī) — to watch for an opportunity; 窥伺 (kuī sì) — To peer; to spy on; to lie in wait for.; 伺候 (cì hòu) — to wait upon; to serve.