伊 (yī) — (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
Easily confused
- 咿yīlook-alike(onomatopoeia) used to represent creaking, babbling, or squeaking sounds, often in the form 咿呀 or 咿咿呀呀
- 一yīsound-alikeone; a (used before measure words)
- 尹yǐnlook-alike(historical) official title (bound form, in compounds like 府尹, 道尹)
- 衣yīsound-alike(bound form) clothing; garment
- 依yīsound-alike(verb) to rely on, to depend on
- 医yīsound-alike(bound form) medical; medicine; to cure
Examples
- 伊，。yī Rén yǐ yuǎn xíng, bù zhī hé shí guī.That person has gone far away, I don't know when they will return.
- 伊，。yī Rén yǐ yuǎn qù, zhī liú xià sī niàn.That person has gone far away, leaving only longing.
- 伊。Wǒ bù zhī dào yī rén shì shuí.I don't know who that person is.
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.
The left part 亻 shows a person. The right part 尹 is used for the sound.
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