How to Write 欷 (xī) — Meaning “To sob”

Imagine a person with a rare (希) emotional release, letting out a breath (欠) that turns into a sob. The left side 希 can be remembered as 'rare' because sobbing is a rare, deep expression of sadness.

Write the left side 希 first (7 strokes: ノ丶一ノ丨フ丨), then the right side 欠 (4 strokes: ノフノ丶). A common mistake is making the left side too wide or the right side's first stroke too long—keep the two sides balanced, and ensure the final stroke of 欠 is a small dot.

The key difference is the left component: 欷 has 希 (rare) while 欲 has 谷 (valley). Visually, 希 contains a 乂 (cross) pattern above 巾, whereas 谷 looks like a small valley. In meaning, 欷 means 'to sob', while 欲 means 'desire'—completely different.

欷 is not a common daily character and is mainly found in literary or classical contexts, often in the reduplicated word 欷歔 (xī xū) meaning 'to sob or sigh deeply'. You might encounter it in poetry or expressive writing to convey a melancholic sigh.

Common words containing 欷 include: 欷歔 (xī xū) — To sob or sigh; 嘘欷 (xū xī) — To sob / To sigh; 欷 (xī) — To sob.