(bound form) sunset; dusk

(bound form) evening; night; Taiwan pr. [xi4]

a picture of 夕 → a crescent moon rising at dusk

The original oracle-bone form showed a crescent just rising, the sun barely gone — that sliver of moon signals the day is done. It appears in words like 除夕 (New Year's Eve) and 朝夕 (morning and night).

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阳慢慢落到山后面去了。

xī yáng màn màn luò dào shān hòu miàn qù le。

The setting sun slowly sank behind the mountain.

每逢除,一家人都会聚在一起吃饭。

měi féng chú xī, yī jiā rén dōu huì jù zài yī qǐ chī fàn。

Every New Year's Eve, the whole family gathers together to eat.

Words with 夕

除夕

chú xī

lunar New Year's Eve

一夕

yī xī

overnight; instantly; very quickly

一夕数惊

yī xī shù jīng

lit. one scare after another in a single night (idiom)

一朝一夕

yī zhāo yī xī

lit. one morning and one evening (idiom)

七夕

qī xī

double seven festival, evening of seventh of lunar seventh month

七夕节

qī xī jié

girls' festival

前夕

qián xī

eve

危在旦夕

wēi zài dàn xī

in imminent peril (idiom)

只争旦夕

zhǐ zhēng dàn xī

see 只爭朝夕|只争朝夕[zhi3 zheng1 zhao1 xi1]

只争朝夕

zhǐ zhēng zhāo xī

(idiom) to seize every minute; to make the best use of one's time

命在旦夕

mìng zài dàn xī

to be at death's door (idiom)

夕照

xī zhào

glow of the setting sun

More characters with 勹