(孟子 mèngzǐ). He once praised the quality of one of his disciples by saying: "子路，人告之以有过，则喜。" (Zǐ Lù, rén gào zhī yǐ yǒu guò, zé xǐ.), meaning: "Zi Lu (a disciple) is pleased that people point out his mistakes."
Whether it is a love poem from Classic of Poetry, the earliest anthology of Chinese poems and songs, or a weibo post by a young woman dreamily rambling about her boyfriend, time seems not to have changed the essence of xi.
Quite a few idioms used today use xi to describe the status of being overjoyed: 大喜过望 (dà xǐ guò wàng) means "be pleased beyond expectation" while 喜不自胜 (xǐ bú zì shèng) means "be transported with joy". When your heart is filled with joy, it is hard not to show it, hence the term 喜形于色 (xǐ xíng yú sè) meaning "light up with pleasure". You can use 喜怒无常 (xǐ nù wú cháng) to describe high and low mood swings, and the next time you are asked the question: "Do you want the good news or the bad news?" You will most likely have a悲喜交加 (bēi xǐ jiāo jiā) moment, meaning "mixed emotions".
Xi is a harbinger of good news, and naturally, good news is called 喜讯 (xǐxùn) or "pleasing message". What about films or performances that get you giggling? For this, xi comes in the form of 喜剧 (xǐjù), meaning comedy. Stick xi in front of anything, and it will instantly turn into something joyful, even in the case of rain - 喜雨 (xǐyǔ) means "pleasing rain", which normally occurs in spring. What about air that is pleasing? It is called 喜气 (xǐqì), meaning the happy expression on people's faces or just the general atmosphere.
You might be surprised that spiders can be pleasing in Chinese culture. 喜蛛 (xǐzhū), for instance, is a kind of long-bodied, long-legged spider you might be happy to see dangling in your room, as it represents 喜从天降 (xǐ cóng tiān jàng), heaven-sent fortune.
One folk story says the Song Dynasty (960-1279) prime minister and litterateur Wang Anshi (王安石) invented the double xi (囍) to describe a situation where two happy events occur around the same time. Wang passed a government exam and got married. Later, 囍 became exclusively associated with weddings as a decorative symbol. On the couple's big day, you will find the character everywhere, from doors and windows to invitations and red envelopes stuffed with money. In marriage, xi is the name of the game: the wedding banquet is called 喜宴 (xǐyàn), wine served is 喜酒 (xǐ jiǚ) and sweets are 喜糖 (xǐtáng). Traditionally, Chinese weddings are regarded as extremely auspicious and can supposedly bring good fortune and drive away evil spirits. So, if an elderly relative is ill, young couples move up the date in the belief that it might help their recovery - a practice called 冲喜 (chōngxǐ).
Another special meaning for xi is "pregnancy", which is commonly referred to as 有喜 (yǒuxǐ), literarily meaning "to have xi". Even morning sickness is called 害喜 (hàixǐ), "to suffer from xi".
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