ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
式
style; formula
shì
6 strokes · 弋 (stake/tool) + 工 (work) · HSK 3
What 式 is made of
弋 + 工 = 式
弋stake and line
Where 式 comes from
A craftsman's tool 弋 laid beside work 工 — the template you copy from. Patterns, forms, styles: whatever shape work should take, 式 is its mold.
式 in Chinese culture
中式 Chinese-style, 正式 formal, 方式 method. Math class writes 公式 formulas; ceremonies hold 仪式. Menus split into 中式早餐 and 西式早餐 — congee or croissant, pick your 式.
Example
方式 fāngshì — way; method
我喜欢中式早餐。
Wǒ xǐhuan zhōngshì zǎocān.
I like Chinese-style breakfast.
How to remember it
The craftsman's TEMPLATE beside the work — the STYLE to follow.
程序员 (programmers) in Taiwan call code 程式 'procedure-style' — the same 式 that shapes ceremonies shapes software.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 式
方式 fāngshì
method
正式 zhèngshì
formal
Related characters
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