Dictionary › 吸

吸

xī

HSK 4 Character

What 吸 means

1. to breathe
2. to suck in
3. to absorb
4. to inhale

Example sentences

• 海绵吸水。
  Hǎimián xīshuǐ.
  A sponge absorbs water.
• 你吸烟吗?
  Do you smoke?
• 严禁吸烟。
  Smoking is strictly prohibited.
• 您吸烟吗？
  Do you smoke?
• 请深呼吸。
  Take a deep breath, please.
• 他不吸烟。
  He does not smoke.

Words starting with 吸

• 吸引xī yǐnto attract; to appeal to; to fascinate
• 吸收xī shōuto absorb; to assimilate; to ingest
• 吸取xī qǔto absorb; to draw (a lesson, insight etc); to assimilate
• 吸烟xī yānto smoke
• 吸引力xī yǐn lìattractive force (such as gravitation); sex appeal; attractiveness
• 吸毒xī dúto take drugs
• 吸纳xī nàto take in; to absorb; to admit
• 吸血鬼xī xuè guǐleech; bloodsucking vermin; vampire (translated European notion)
• 吸入xī rùto breathe in; to suck in; to inhale
• 吸气xī qìto inhale; to breathe in
• 吸管xī guǎn(drinking) straw; pipette; eyedropper
• 吸食xī shí(of an insect) to drink (nectar, sap, blood etc); (of a person) to take…
• 吸吮xī shǔnto suck on (sth); to suck in
• 吸进xī jìnto inhale; to breathe in
• 吸尘器xī chén qìvacuum cleaner
• 吸血xī xuèto suck blood
• 吸附xī fùto adhere to a surface; to absorb; to draw in
• 吸水xī shuǐabsorbent
• 吸氧xī yǎngto breathe; to absorb oxygen
• 吸住xī zhùto draw (towards); to be drawn to; to be sucked in
• 吸力xī lì(physics) attractive force (gravitational, magnetic, electrostatic etc); suction…
• 吸口xī kǒusucker mouth
• 吸地xī dìto vacuum the floor
• 吸把xī bǎtoilet plunger

Words containing 吸

• 呼吸hū xīto breathe
• 呼吸道hū xī dàorespiratory tract
• 吮吸shǔn xīto suck
• 人工呼吸rén gōng hū xīartificial respiration (medicine)
• 复吸fù xīto resume smoking (after giving up); to relapse into smoking or drug abuse
• 相吸xiāng xīmutual attraction (e.g. electrostatic); to attract one another
• 解吸jiě xīto de-absorb; to get a chemical out of solution
• 门吸mén xīdoorstop
• 呼吸器hū xī qì(medicine) ventilator
• 呼吸机hū xī jī(medicine) ventilator
• 呼吸管hū xī guǎnsnorkel
• 同类相吸tóng lèi xiāng xīLike attracts like.
• 呼吸系统hū xī xì tǒngrespiratory system
• 地心吸力dì xīn xī lìgravitation
• 呼吸调节器hū xī tiáo jié qìregulator (diving)
• 上呼吸道感染shàng hū xī dào gǎn rǎnupper respiratory tract infection
• 异性相吸yì xìng xiāng xīopposite polarities attract; (fig.) opposite sexes attract; opposites attract
• 口吸盘kǒu xī pánoral sucker (e.g. on bloodsucking parasite)
• 禁止吸烟jìn zhǐ xī yānNo smoking!
• 被动吸烟bèi dòng xī yānsecond-hand smoking; passive smoking
• 磁吸cí xī(of a magnet) to attract metallic objects; (fig.) to exert a magnetic attraction…
• 磁吸效应cí xī xiào yìng"magnetic" force that attracts investment and talented individuals…
• 血吸虫xuè xī chóngschistosoma
• 血吸虫病xuè xī chóng bìngschistosomiasis

Characters built on 及

These share the phonetic component 及 (jí), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 级jílevel; grade; rank
• 极jíextremely; pole (geography, physics); utmost
• 圾jīused in 垃圾; Taiwan pr. sè
• 汲jíto draw (water)
• 岌jílofty peak; perilous
• 笈jítrunks (for books)
• 芨jíBletilla hyacinthina (mucilaginous); Acronym for the Chinese Elder tree 菫草

Characters that look like 吸

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 级jílevel; grade; rank
• 极jíextremely; pole (geography, physics); utmost
• 呃è(exclamation); to hiccup
• 叹tànto sigh; to exclaim
• 呕ǒuvomit
• 岐Qísurname Qi; also used in place names

Sounds the same

Read xī, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 息breath; news; interest (on an investment or loan)
• 西west
• 希to hope; to admire; variant of 稀
• 悉in all cases; know
• 惜to cherish; to begrudge; to pity
• 析to separate; to divide; to analyze
• 夕(bound form) sunset; dusk; (bound form) evening; night; Taiwan pr. xì
• 晰clear; distinct
• 稀sparse; scattered; rare; uncommon; diluted; thin; watery
• 牺sacrifice
• 昔former times; the past; Taiwan pr. xí
• 溪creek; rivulet