Chinese character 羲

Today, 羲 mainly appears in historical names and compounds.

Its old standalone sense, “breath” or “vapor,” is obsolete in present-day Standard Chinese. In 伏羲 (Fuxi), it belongs to the name of a legendary culture hero; in 羲和 (Xihe), to a solar figure or an old calendar-keeping office; in 王羲之 (Wang Xizhi), to a calligrapher’s personal name. The surrounding name does the decoding.

Where did 羲 come from?

Early forms of 羲 appear in oracle-bone inscriptions. These are early Chinese writings carved on bones or shells. Later bronze inscriptions use 羲 as a personal name. The Chu Curse Inscription, a text from the Warring States period, writes 犧牲 with 羲 as its second character—an earlier written form behind the modern sacrificial term.

One reading of the early written shape sees a weapon beside a decapitated pig, tying the character to sacrifice. The exact picture is debated: a knife would fit the ritual better than the proposed halberd. The ritual setting is firmer than the precise drawing.

Why can 羲 be mistaken for another character?

The lower-left component is 丂, not 乃.

In handwriting, check that lower-left piece before accepting the form as 羲.