伺 (sì) is a Chinese character meaning “to watch closely”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 司 (to take charge of; to manage; a department), side by side, and takes 7 strokes. It has a second reading, cì, which turns up in 伺候 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to watch, to lie in wait”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 司
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 司 to take charge of; to manage; a department · sī sound
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：亻 2 画 + 司 5 画 = 7 画）
Memory aid
A person (亻) standing beside the one in charge (司) — quietly watching, waiting for the right moment. 司 also tells you the sound: sī → sì.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 伺机sì jīto watch for one's chance; to bide one's time伺 = sì
Go deeper
All readings
to watch; to spy on
to watch closely; to observe secretly; to lie in wait for
暗中观察、探看；等待（时机）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 伺机sì jīto watch for one's chance; to bide one's time伺 = sì
to wait upon
to wait upon; to attend to; to serve (only in 伺候)
服侍、照料（只用于「伺候」）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 伺候cì houto wait upon; to attend to; to serve伺 = cì
Sound component
司 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 伺 mean?
伺 (sì) means to watch closely; to observe secretly; to lie in wait for.
How do you pronounce 伺?
Its main reading is sì. It also has a second reading, cì, which only shows up in certain words such as 伺候 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 伺 sometimes pronounced cì?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 伺候 it is read cì.
What parts is 伺 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 司 (to take charge of; to manage; a department), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：亻 2 画 + 司 5 画 = 7 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 伺 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 伺?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 伺?
Common ones are 伺机. The reading of 伺 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.