How to Write 逝 (shì) — Meaning “To pass away or elapse.”

Picture a broken walking stick — the 折 (broken) part on the left and the 辶 (walking) radical on the right. As you try to walk with a broken stick, your journey ends, reminding you of something passing away or time elapsing.

Write the left part 折 first: 扌 (hand radical) then 斤 (axe), then add the 辶 radical last. A common mistake is writing 辶 before finishing the left side, which makes the character unbalanced. Also ensure the bottom horizontal of 折 aligns with the top of 辶.

逝 contains 折 (break) and means 'to pass away' or 'elapse', while 迢 has 召 (call) and means 'distant' (as in 迢迢, far away). 迤 has 也 and means 'winding' or 'meandering' (as in 迤逦, winding). Visually, the inner parts are distinct: 折 vs 召 vs 也.

逝 is used in formal or literary contexts, such as 逝世 (to pass away, a respectful term for death) and 流逝 (the passage of time). In Chinese culture, direct talk of death is avoided, so 逝世 is a polite euphemism. The character also appears in poetic descriptions of time flowing away.

Common words containing 逝 include: 逝世 (shì shì) — To pass away or decease.; 流逝 (liú shì) — pass / elapse (of time); 消逝 (xiāo shì) — to fade away; to vanish.