I think this is a reference to naming virus mutations... after 10 more mutations (?) we'll arrive at the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet, Xi. Which is also the family name of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
> Which is also the family name of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
Well, it has the same English spelling. It's not a similar sound at all; you would probably think of one as "ksee" and the other as "she".
Though the standard English practice is to pronounce xi, pi, phi, chi, and psi as if they rhymed with "sigh", making the words even less similar. Different consonant, different vowel.
I know that, but that's not a difference that exists in English. You can't think of 习 as being a sound you don't know. You have to think of it as a sound you do know.