斜

The Chinese character 斜 (xié) is composed of two parts: the radical 丿 (piě) and the phonetic component 斜 (xié). The radical 丿 represents a slanted line, while the phonetic component 斜 is a pictograph of a person leaning to one side. Together, these two components create the character 斜, which means "slanting" or "oblique".The character 斜 has been used in Chinese for over 3,000 years. It is found in the earliest Chinese dictionaries, such as the Shuowen Jiezi, which was compiled in the 2nd century AD. In the Shuowen Jiezi, the character 斜 is defined as "to lean to one side". This definition is still used today.The character 斜 is used in a variety of words and phrases in Chinese. Some common examples include:* 斜线 (xiéxiàn): diagonal line* 斜坡 (xiépō): slope* 斜视 (xiéshì): squint* 斜角 (xiéjiǎo): oblique angle* 斜挎包 (xiékùabāo): messenger bagThe character 斜 is also used in some Chinese idioms. Some common examples include:* 斜风细雨 (xiéfēngxìyǔ): a gentle breeze and light rain* 斜阳西下 (xiéyángxīxià): the setting sun in the west* 斜刺里杀出 (xiécìlǐ shāchū): to suddenly appear from an unexpected directionThe character 斜 is a versatile character that can be used in a variety of ways to express different meanings. It is an important character for HSK learners to know.