How to Write 徯 (xī) — Meaning “to wait; to expect”

Picture the left radical 彳 as a person walking and the right part 奚 as a big hand (like 大 with a hand shape on top). Imagine that person stopping on a path and waiting for a big hand to arrive. The sound "xī" can remind you of "seek" – you seek something while waiting.

Start with the left radical 彳: write two short slanted strokes from top to bottom, then a vertical line. For the right part 奚, draw the top hand shape (爫) carefully with three or four strokes, then a big horizontal line, and finally the small silk-like strokes at the bottom. A common mistake is making the left part too wide – keep it narrow so the right part has enough space.

徯 (xī) means "to wait" or "to expect", while 得 (dé/děi) means "to get" or "must", and 徘 (pái) means "to walk back and forth". Visually, 徯 has the unique right part 奚 with a hand shape on top, whereas 得 has a sun component (日) and 徘 has the left-right structure of 非. In usage, 徯 is rare and mostly literary, while 得 and 徘 are more common in everyday Chinese.

徯 is quite uncommon today and does not appear in the HSK vocabulary. You may find it in classical poetry or formal writing to express longing or waiting, for example in the word 徯望 (xī wàng, to hope for). It also appears in 徯径 (xī jìng), meaning a narrow footpath or side road, which is a more literary term.

Common words containing 徯 include: 徯径 (xī jìng) — narrow path; footpath; 徯望 (xī wàng) — to hope for; to look forward to; 徯后 (xī hòu) — waiting for the ruler.