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Strokes of genius 丝
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AS an associative character, the oracle bone script of "丝sī"(silk) is equal to a double of “糸mì” (filament). So this character is, first of all, referring to fabrics. “真丝zhēnsī” must be 100% pure silk, while “丝绸sīchóu” — as in the name of the famous ancient trade and cultural transmission route “丝绸之路Sīchóu Zhī Lù”(Silk Road) — could be either natural or artificial silk. And besides, “丝绒sīróng" is velvet.
Secondly, "丝sī" is used to describe thread-like things such as “铁丝tiěsī”(iron wire) and “钢丝gāngsī”(steel wire). Metaphorically, “走钢丝zǒu gāngsī”(tightrope walking) means "to do something risky." In the same meaning but another aspect, “丝sī” is also widely seen in menus or recipes:
肉丝 ròusī
shredded meat
鸡丝 jīsī
shredded chicken
笋丝 sǔnsī
shredded bamboo shoots
土豆丝 tǔdòusī
shredded potatoes
萝卜丝 luóbosī
shredded radishes
Thirdly, “丝sī” has a further meaning of “a tiny bit, very small amount”. As an adverb, “丝毫sīháo” means “the slightest degree.” For instance:
他的伤病丝毫没有影响他的发挥。
Tā de shāngbìng sīháo méiyǒu yǐngxiǎng tāde fāhuī.
His injury didn’t affect his play at all.
And here are some more examples of “丝sī” functioning as a measure word in this meaning:
一丝风 yì sī fēng
a breath of wind
一丝希望 yì sī xīwàng
a glimmer of hope
一丝机会 yì sī jīhuì
a ghost of a chance
(For more tips, please contact Emma Ding via info@emmalanguagestudio.com.)
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