How to Write 厮 (sī) — Meaning “servant; each other”

Imagine a servant (厮) standing under a cliff (厂) and constantly saying 'sī' (斯) to call for others. The sound 'sī' matches the pinyin, and the visual of a cliff above a worker helps you recall the meaning 'servant.' This links the parts to both the pronunciation and the definition.

Pay attention to the left side: the radical 厂 is written with a horizontal stroke then a left-falling stroke, not like a full enclosure. The right side 斯 has 14 strokes total, so write the top part 其 (qí) first, then the bottom 斤 (jīn), keeping the left side of 斯 narrow. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide or misplacing the horizontal stroke in 厂.

厮 (sī) means 'servant' or 'mutual,' while 厥 (jué) means 'to faint' or 'his/her' in classical texts, and 厦 (shà) means 'tall building.' Visually, 厮 uses 厂 on the left with 斯; 厥 uses 厂 with 欮 (jué) on the right; 厦 uses 厂 with 夏 (xià). The right-side component is the key difference: 斯 vs. 欮 vs. 夏.

In modern Chinese, 厮 is mostly found in literary or formal expressions, not everyday conversation. Common words include 厮打 (to scuffle), 厮守 (to stay together), and 厮混 (to hang out), which all carry a sense of close or rough interaction. It is rarely used alone and often appears in fixed phrases from classical or dramatic contexts.

Common words containing 厮 include: 厮打 (sī dǎ) — to fight; to scuffle; 厮守 (sī shǒu) — to stay together; to be together constantly; 厮混 (sī hùn) — to hang out together; to fool around.