Definition
挨 (ái) means 'to be next to' or 'to do in sequence' — it emphasizes physical adjacency or doing things one after another in a series. Unlike 近 (jìn), which describes closeness in distance or time, 挨 focuses on being directly next to something. For sequential actions, 挨 is more colloquial than the formal adverb 依次 (yī cì).
verb
to be next toto be adjacent toto do something in ordersequentially (often used in compounds like 挨个)
Easily confused
- 唉àilook-alike(interjection) expresses sigh, regret, disappointment, or resignation
- 爱àisound-aliketo love
- 矣yǐlook-alike(classical particle, sentence-final) indicates a change of state, completion, or new situation (equivalent to modern 了)
- 哎āisound-alike(interjection) hey! (used to call someone's attention)
- 矮ǎisound-alikeshort (in height)
- 癌áisound-alikecancer
Examples
- 挨。Zhè liǎng zhāng zhuōzi ái zài yìqǐ.These two tables are next to each other.
- 。Wǒmen ái gè jìnqù ba.Let's go in one by one.
- 。Tā de jiā ái zhe wǒ de xuéxiào.His home is next to my school.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.