() — (literary, archaic) he; she

Definition

伊 (yī) is a literary third-person pronoun meaning 'he' or 'she' — used mostly in classical-style writing or as a surname, not in everyday speech.

pronoun
(literary, archaic) heshe

Examples

  • yī Rén yǐ yuǎn xíng, bù zhī hé shí guī.
    That person has gone far away, I don't know when they will return.
  • yī Rén yǐ yuǎn qù, zhī liú xià sī niàn.
    That person has gone far away, leaving only longing.
  • Wǒ bù zhī dào yī rén shì shuí.
    I don't know who that person is.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Written in full asrénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
yǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 亻 shows a person. The right part 尹 is used for the sound.

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