始

shǐ

begin, start; only then

Meaning

  • Verb: To begin, start, or initiate.
  • Noun/Adjective: The origin, the source, or the first (e.g., the beginning of a lineage or process).

Grammar and usage

  • Logical Connective: Used as "only then," "not until," or "finally." In this capacity, it often marks a conditional threshold, indicating that a preceding state or action was a necessary prerequisite before the subsequent state could be realized.
  • Conceptual Pairing: Frequently paired with 終 (end) to denote the boundaries of a cycle or the entirety of a process.

Distinctions

  • Contrast with 初: While both refer to beginnings, they generally diverge in focus: 初 typically refers to the early stage or the quality of being initial/new; 始 typically refers to the point of departure, the act of initiation, or the causal trigger.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.