How to Write 析 (xī) — Meaning “to analyze; to separate”

Imagine an axe (斤) chopping a tree (木) into pieces so you can analyze its wood grain. Picture a lumberjack carefully splitting logs to study their inner structure—that action is 析.

First write the left radical 木 (stroke order: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, dot). Then write the right side 斤 (left-falling, horizontal, vertical hook, vertical stroke). Keep the left side slightly narrower than the right, and ensure the first stroke of 斤 is a clear left-falling stroke, not a dot.

Unlike 析, which has 斤 on the right, 朱 (zhū, vermilion) has a vertical line through the middle with a 木 base and an extra horizontal stroke. 朴 (pǔ, simple) uses the radical 木 with a 卜 (bǔ) component on the right. The key visual difference is the right side: 析 uses 斤 (axe), while the others do not.

析 appears frequently in analytical contexts such as 分析 (fēn xī, to analyze) in science, business, and daily conversation, and 解析 (jiě xī) in mathematics or literature. It is also used in 赏析 (shǎng xī, to appreciate and analyze art), reflecting a thoughtful, detailed examination valued in Chinese education.

Common words containing 析 include: 分析 (fēn xī) — To analyze; 解析 (jiě xī) — to analyze; analysis; 赏析 (shǎng xī) — to appreciate and analyze (art or literature).