How to Write 翕 (xī) — Meaning “close; contract”

Imagine a bird (羽) folding its wings tightly shut with a snapping motion (合). The top part 合 looks like a lid closing down, and the bottom 羽 are the feathers; picture the wings contracting into the body.

Write the top component 合 first, making sure it is slightly wider than the bottom. The lower part 羽 consists of two mirrored '习' shapes; keep them narrow and balanced. A common mistake is making the bottom too wide or misplacing the left-falling stroke in 合.

翕 (xī) has 合 on top and 羽 below, meaning 'contract'. 翁 (wēng) has 公 on top and 羽 below, meaning 'old man' or 'father'. 翅 (chì) has 羽 on the left and 支 on the right, meaning 'wing'. The key difference is the top or side component.

翕 is mostly used in formal, literary, or poetic language rather than everyday speech. It appears in words like 翕动 (to quiver or twitch, e.g., a bird's wings) and 翕然 (unanimously or harmoniously, describing collective agreement). It is not part of the HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 翕 include: 翕动 (xī dòng) — quiver; twitch; 翕张 (xī zhāng) — open and close; dilate and contract; 翕然 (xī rán) — in unison; harmoniously.