壹 (yī) — one (financial/formal uppercase form used on checks and legal documents)
Definition
壹 (yī) is the formal uppercase form of 一, used on checks, invoices, and contracts to prevent fraud. Read as 'one' — same meaning, but never in everyday writing.
numeral
one (financial/formal uppercase form used on checks and legal documents)
Examples
- 壹。Qǐng bǎ zhè bǐ jīn é xiě chéng yī qiān yuán zhěng.Please write this amount as one thousand yuan exactly.
- 壹。Fā piào shàng bì xū yòng dà xiě yī děng shù zì.On the invoice you must use uppercase numbers like 壹.
- 壹。Hé tong jīn é xiě de shì yī bǎi wàn yuán.The contract amount is written as one million yuan.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
壺壺hú
Sound part声符shēngfú
吉
吉jí壹yī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
壹 pairs 壺, a vessel shape, with 吉, which provides the sound.
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