Zi:西

From Wenlin Dictionaries

西 [] west (西​ ‘west side’; 西​ ‘Occident’; ​西​ ‘Atlantic’; 西​ ‘Spain’); ​西 dōngxi thing; (HDZ:) ​: ​宿; …; (​) [] cf. ​/​

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The character 西 xī ‘west’ is an old character, formerly 西 qī ‘nest’, today wr. ​ qī ‘nest’ among full-form characters, and ​ qī ‘nest’ (among simple-form characters).
    Note: Today mainly 西 xī ‘west’, birds go to nest/roost as the sun (firebird in the sky) roosts/sets in the west; the old meaning of 西 is today wr. ​/​ qī ‘(of birds) perch/roost/nest’, cf. ​.
    The Shuōwén Seal form of 西(​𧟢) qī/xī ‘nest/west’ is said to depict a ​(​𠄎𠄕) nǎi ‘roosting/brooding bird’ (or nestlings) sitting on/in its ​ ‘nest’ (of eggs/hatchlings; cf. ​); formerly also wr. ​, ​, and later ​, today wr. ​ qī ‘nest’ (among simple-form characters).
    Compare: ​(​𢰕𨙞𦦒) qiān ‘climb (to get a nest/egg)’ (cf. ​); ​(​𦥓) xìn ‘fontanelle’ (cf. ​); cf. ​/​(​𧨼).
    “[西] Image of a bird sitting on its nest ... the West, for the birds go to roost when the sun is setting” —Wieger.
    Compare: ​(​𤔥) cháo ‘nest’ (SW: bird in a tree), in which ​𦥑 or ​ represent the nest (cf. ​𤔥, ​), and ​ ‘nestlings/hatchlings’ (​𠄕); ​(​) xī ‘past’.
    Note: The top of the Seal ​ is like ​(​𢎜𠄎𠄕) nǎi ‘nestlings/hatchlings’, or ​𡆳 yún ‘clouds’ (in the west); the bottom is like ​(​𡆧) cōng ‘vent/chimney’ (setting sun as dying ember), or ​ ‘nest’, cf. ​(​𠨧) qiān ‘climb high’ (after a bird's nest/egg); cf. ​/​ dōng ‘east’, in which also ​ ‘tree’ (as in ​), but with ​ rì ‘sun’.
    Compare: ​(​𤏯) yān ‘smoke’, ​ yān ‘smoke’; ​(​𡍯) yīn ‘block up’ (with smoke/soot); ​(​𥛿𥛡) yīn ‘(anc.) fire sacrifice’.
    Compare: ​ yà, 西(​) xī, ​𠧪, wr. as ​ when used as a component (in other cases ​ stands for something else entirely).
    Compare: ​, ​(​𡍯), ​(​), ​(​𤐫), ​(​𦥺).
    Note: For usage in the compound ​西 dōngxi ‘things’, see ​(​) dōng ‘east’.
    HDZ: 西 : xī : ​: ​宿; (​) ​ (ant. ​); ​西, ​西; (​) 西​𨙽/​; 西​, 西​ (西​, ​西); (​) 西​; (​) 西​; (​); (​)
►references: Guǎngyùn:090.12; Wieger:41c,41d; Henshall:152; Karlgren:AD776,GSR594a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:4.2805.2; Mathews:2460; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:1128.10; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:024.1.10; Wáng(1993):59; EDOC:1
►components:
►Cantonese: sai\
►stroke 西 (... strokes)   
►list characters containing 西 as a component
►list words containing 西 (most common words first)
Unicode: U+897F
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