世
shì
life
surname Shi; age; generation; era; world; lifetime; epoch; descendant; noble
a picture of 世 → three generations on a branch
The original form showed three leaves on a branch, each leaf representing one generation — parent, self, child. Over time it broadened to mean the whole sweep of human time: a lifetime, an age, the world.
他家世代行医，到他已是第五世了。
tā jiā shì dài xíng yī, dào tā yǐ shì dì wǔ shì le。
His family has practiced medicine for generations; by his time it is already the fifth generation.
这位老人说，他这一世过得很平静。
zhè wèi lǎo rén shuō, tā zhè yī shì guò de hěn píng jìng。
The old man said that he had lived this lifetime in great peace.
Words with 世
苏黎世
sū lí shì
Zurich, Switzerland
逝世
shì shì
to pass away
过世
guò shì
to die
避世
bì shì
to shun the world
避世绝俗
bì shì jué sú
(idiom) to withdraw from society and live in seclusion
那世
nà shì
the world of the dead
郎世宁
láng shì níng
Giuseppe Castiglione (1688–1766), Jesuit missionary and artist who served as a painter in the Qing court for 50 years
邓世昌
dèng shì chāng
Deng Shichang (1849-1894), Qing dynasty naval specialist, founded naval dockyards and two naval colleges, died heroically in action against the Japanese
醒世恒言
xǐng shì héng yán
Stories to Awaken the World, vernacular short stories by Feng Menglong 馮夢龍|冯梦龙[Feng2 Meng4 long2] published in 1627
阅世
yuè shì
to see the world
降世
jiàng shì
lit. to descend to earth (of an immortal)
阳世间
yáng shì jiān
the world of the living