姨 (yí) — maternal aunt (mother's sister); auntie (term of address for a woman of one's mother's generation)
Definition
姨 is your maternal aunt — your mother's sister. As a term of address it is used mainly within the family; the broader polite title for any older woman is 阿姨.
noun
maternal aunt (mother's sister)auntie (term of address for a woman of one's mother's generation)
Measure word · 个
Easily confused
Examples
- 姨。Měi gè xīng qī wǒ dōu qù yí jiā chī fàn.Every week I go to my aunt's house for a meal.
- 姨，。yí, Zhè shì wǒ gěi nǐ mǎi de lǐ wù.Auntie, this is a present I bought for you.
- 姨。Wǒ mā ma de mèi mei shì wǒ de xiǎo yí.My mother's younger sister is my younger maternal aunt.
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.
姨 combines 女 (woman) with 夷, which gives the sound. The 女 part marks it as a woman-related word.
Appears in
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