使

shǐ
HSK 3
#119 most
frequent character
to make, to cause, to enable
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

使 pairs 亻 person with 吏 lì, which points to officials and also hints at the sound. Officials are the ones who give orders, so the first sense is 'to give orders'. From there it grew to 'to send', 'agent', 'to cause', and 'to use'. The sound link to 吏 is not clear in Mandarin.

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Example Sentences

老师让我早点到学校。
lǎoshī ràng wǒ zǎodiǎn dào xuéxiào 。
The teacher made me arrive at school early.
他让我使用电脑。
tā ràng wǒ shǐyòng diànnǎo 。
He enabled me to use the computer.
我会使这个机器工作。
wǒ huì shǐ zhègè jīqì gōngzuò 。
I can make this machine work.

Words with similar meanings

让ràng
to let
It conveys the meaning of allowing or causing someone to do something, often in a more casual context.
使用shǐyòng
to use
It focuses specifically on the act of employing tools or resources, making it more specific compared to '使'.

Words Starting With 使

使用shǐ yòng
to use; to employ; to apply; to make use of
使劲儿shǐ jìn r
to exert all one's strength
使命shǐ mìng
mission (diplomatic or other); set task

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