休xiū

休

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简体

Simplified Chinese

The character 休 (xiū, "to rest") takes the simplest possible form — a person (人) leaning against a tree (木), capturing in two strokes what the ancient seal script expressed in elaborate detail. This intuitive pictogram has remained virtually unchanged since the earliest inscriptions, its meaning as immediately clear to modern readers as it was to Bronze Age scribes.

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Shuowen

Rest. A person leaning against a tree. The character depicts a human figure (亻) beside a tree (木), signifying the act of stopping to take a break, and from this original sense derive all meanings related to rest, pause, or cessation.

Pinyin

xiū· HSK 1

休xiū

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin