裔 (yì) — (bound form) descendant; person of a specified ethnic ancestry
Definition
裔 (yì) is a bound morpheme meaning 'descendant' or 'of … descent,' always attached to an ethnic or family name (华裔, 印度裔, 后裔). It never stands alone — say 华裔 or 后裔, not 裔 by itself.
bound form
descendantperson of a specified ethnic ancestry
Examples
- ，。Tā shì huá yì, zài měi guó chū shēng zhǎng dà.He is of Chinese descent, born and raised in the US.
- 。Zhè xiē rén shì kǒng zǐ de hòu yì.These people are descendants of Confucius.
- 裔。Tā shì yìn dù yì yí mín.He is an immigrant of Indian descent.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
㕯
吶nà裔⁰yì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
裔 pairs 衣 (cloth) with 㕯 (also written 吶) for its sound.
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