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引 (yǐn) — to lead, to guide; to attract, to draw (attention or interest); to quote, to cite (as evidence or justification)

Definition

引 (yǐn) is a formal/written verb used in set phrases: 引导 ('guide'), 引起 ('trigger'), 引用 ('cite'). 吸引 is the everyday verb for 'attract'; 引 focuses on evoking or drawing out attention/interest rather than pulling people in.

verb
to leadto guideto attractto draw (attention or interest)to quoteto cite (as evidence or justification)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Dǎo yóu yǐn dǎo wǒ men cān guān le gǔ lǎo de sì miào.
    The tour guide guided us to visit the ancient temple.
  • 。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng yǐn qǐ le guān zhòng qiáng liè de gòng míng.
    His speech evoked strong resonance from the audience.
  • ，。
    Xiě lùn wén shí, nǐ yào yǐn yòng kě kào de zī liào.
    When writing a thesis, you should cite reliable sources.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 弓弓gōngbow
  • 丿丿piěindicatory stroke

引 is made from 弓, a bow, and 丿, a short slant stroke added at the place where the string is pulled, marking the action of drawing or pulling.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 63000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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