How to Write 仕 (shì) — Meaning “Official or to serve in government”

Q: What is a good memory trick to remember 仕?

Picture a person (亻) standing next to a scholar (士) — that person is the official serving the government. You can also link the sound "shì" to "she" and imagine a female official in ancient China.

Q: What should I watch out for when writing 仕?

Write the left radical 亻 first (two strokes: left-falling and vertical). Then write the right part 士: horizontal, vertical, horizontal. The two horizontal strokes in 士 should be parallel; the bottom stroke is slightly longer than the top. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or misplacing the vertical stroke.

Q: What common words use 仕?

Common words containing 仕 include: 出仕 (chū shì) — to enter government service; 仕途 (shì tú) — Official career; 仕女 (shì nǚ) — Traditional painting of beautiful women.

shì 5 strokes Radical: 亻

仕 (shì) means "Official or to serve in government" in Chinese. It has 5 strokes with the radical 亻.

Rated 2.7/5 in difficulty (moderate).

Appears in 3+ common words including 出仕 (chū shì), 仕途 (shì tú), 仕女 (shì nǚ).

Hanzi Writer's stroke validation shows learners typically need 5-8 attempts to write 仕 with correct proportion and order.

Practice Writing 仕 (shì)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 仕 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 仕

The character 仕 (shì) is written with 5 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 亻 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does shì (仕) Mean in Chinese?

仕 means Official or to serve in government.

Character Data

Character	仕
Pinyin	shì (shi)
Meaning	Official or to serve in government
Strokes	5
Radical	亻
Difficulty	2.7/5

Origin of 仕

仕 combines the radical 亻 (person) with 士 (scholar or gentleman). A person who is a scholar becomes an official, serving in government.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a scholar (士) standing upright with a person (亻) beside them, ready to serve as a loyal official.

Common Words with 仕

出仕 chū shì

to enter government service

仕途 shì tú

Official career

仕女 shì nǚ

Traditional painting of beautiful women

Example Sentences

他决定出仕为官。

tā jué dìng chū shì wèi guān

He decided to enter government service.

他的仕途非常顺利。

tā de shì tú fēi cháng shùn lì

His career has been very smooth.

这是一幅仕女图。

zhè shì yī fú shì nǚ tú

This is a painting of a court lady.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
仕 (current)	shì	5	亻
亿	yì	3	亻
什	shén / shí	4	亻
仁	rén	4	亻

Practice Writing 仕 (shì)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 仕 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 仕

What does the character 仕 consist of, and how does its structure relate to its meaning?

仕 is made of the radical 亻 (person) on the left and 士 (shì, scholar or official) on the right. The person radical shows a human, and 士 suggests an official or learned person, so together the character means a person who serves as an official in the government.

What is a good memory trick to remember 仕?

What should I watch out for when writing 仕?

How can I tell 仕 apart from similar characters like 亿 and 什?

When would a Chinese speaker use 仕 in modern life?

What common words use 仕?

How to Write 仕 (shì) — Meaning “Official or to serve in government”

Practice Writing 仕 (shì)

How to Write 仕

What Does shì (仕) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 仕

Common Words with 仕

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 仕 (shì)

Frequently Asked Questions about 仕

Characters with Radical 亻

Other 5-Stroke Characters