息

• Breath and Rest: Breath; the act of breathing. By extension, a pause for recovery, respite, or rest.
• Cessation: To cease, stop, or die (intransitive); to quell, extinguish, or suppress (transitive).
• Increase: To grow, multiply, or expand. In economic contexts, refers to accrued interest on a loan or profit.

• Verb: Can be intransitive (to rest; to cease) or transitive (to stop or quell something).
• Noun: Breath; a period of rest; accrued interest.

• Contrast with 休 (//xiū//): While both relate to resting, 息 often emphasizes the internal regulation of energy or "catching one's breath" rather than a total cessation of activity.
• Semantic Tension: There is a primary ambiguity between "rest" (a pause intended for continuation) and "cessation" (a stop intended as an end).

• Readings: Fanqie reading 相即; Tang-period reading *siək.

To resolve ambiguity, look to the surrounding context:

• If paired with exhaustion or travel → Rest/Respite.
• If paired with anger, noise, or fire → Quelling/Stopping.
• If paired with wealth, numbers, or population → Increase/Interest.