How to Write 噬 (shì) — Meaning “to bite or devour”

Imagine a giant mouth (口) devouring bamboo divination sticks (筮), chewing them up completely. The sound "shì" can remind you of "shear" or "shred" as the teeth tear through something. This visual helps link the mouth radical to the idea of aggressive eating.

The right side 筮 has 15 strokes and includes two small 人 components stacked with a 工 between them — do not confuse them with 入 or 八. A common mistake is making the top 竹 part too wide; keep it compact and balanced with the mouth on the left. Follow the standard stroke order: first 口, then the top 竹, then the middle 工, and finally the two 人 at the bottom.

噬 has the complex right side 筮 (bamboo + shaman), while 嗽 has a right side 欶 (束 + 欠) and means "to cough" — not bite. 㕡 (rare) means a pit or gully and looks different; it has a 口 radical but the right side is 㕡 (a hole-like shape). Visually, 噬 is the only one with the tall, layered 筮 component on the right.

噬 appears mostly in formal or literary contexts, not everyday conversation. Common words include 吞噬 (to swallow up, as in a ship being swallowed by the sea) and 反噬 (to backfire, like a plan turning against its maker). It is also used in nature writing for animals that bite or devour prey, giving it a strong, dramatic feel.

Common words containing 噬 include: 吞噬 (tūn shì) — to swallow / to engulf / to devour; 噬咬 (shì yǎo) — to bite or gnaw; 反噬 (fǎn shì) — To backfire; to turn on someone.