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遗言 (yí yán) — deathbed words, last testament

Definition

遗言 (wèi yán) refers to the final words someone leaves before death, whether spoken or written. It emphasizes the personal, emotional message — distinct from 遗嘱 (the formal legal document).

noun
deathbed wordslast testament
Measure word · 句

Examples

  • 遗言。
    Tā liú xià yí yán hòu jiù lí kāi le rén shì.
    He left his dying words and then passed away.
  • 遗言。
    Zhè piān yí yán xiě mǎn le tā duì jiā rén de ài.
    This testament is full of his love for his family.
  • 遗言。
    Zǔ fù de yí yán ràng wǒ men fēi cháng gǎn dòng.
    Grandfather's dying words moved us deeply.

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.

遗yíleave behind
言yánwords

遗 gives the idea of something left behind and 言 gives words, naming last words.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 遺; 遗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòmove
Sound part声符shēngfú
貴
貴guì遺yí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 遺 pairs 辶 (move) with 貴 as a sound part; the simplified 遗 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old sound part.

Open 遗 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsCommunication & Speech

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