后裔 (hòu yì) — descendant | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

后裔 (hòuyì) is a formal written term for 'descendants' of a specific ancestor or family line, often used in historical or literary contexts. More specific than 后代/后人, which also cover later generations broadly.

noun

descendant

Measure word · 个

Examples

后裔。
Jù shuō tā shì kǒng zǐ de hòu yì.
He is said to be a descendant of Confucius.
后裔。
Zhè xiē hòu yì zhì jīn réng bǎo liú zhe zǔ xiān de yǔ yán.
These descendants still preserve the language of their ancestors to this day.
后裔。
Wǒ men jiā zú de hòu yì biàn bù shì jiè gè dì.
The descendants of our clan are spread all over the world.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

后hòulater

裔yìdescendants

后 means later, and 裔 refers to descendants.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

幺幺yāothread
夊夊suīfoot

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

Most 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

衣衣yīcloth

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.

Open 裔 →

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Family & Kinship