晒

• Pinyin: shài
• Hanzi breakdown: 晒 = 日 (sun) + 西 (west, phonetic) — things exposed to the sun

Meaning

To dry in the sun; to bask. In modern slang, to show off on social media.

Traditional meaning: drying things in the sun — clothes, quilts, food. Modern internet meaning: to share or show off publicly online, as in 晒照片 (post photos) or 晒幸福 (flaunt happiness). Both meanings are widely used.

Examples

1. 天气好的时候，奶奶喜欢晒被子。 When the weather is nice, Grandma likes to air the quilts in the sun.
2. 别在太阳底下晒太久，会晒伤的。 Don't stay in the sun for too long — you'll get sunburnt.
3. 她总喜欢在朋友圈晒自己做的菜。 She always likes to show off the dishes she makes on her social media.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, everyday, social media

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 今天太阳好，把衣服拿出去晒一晒。(The sun is nice today — take the clothes out to dry.)
• 她又在网上晒旅游照片了。(She is showing off her travel photos online again.)

Don't Say

• 我晒了一下头发 meaning to dry hair in the sun (For drying hair, use 吹干 with a hairdryer — 晒 implies sun-drying items laid out flat, not personal grooming)

Origin & History

Combines 日 (sun) and 西 (west, phonetic component) — things exposed to sunlight, especially the long afternoon sun.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal