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夷 (yí) — (bound form) level, smooth; to raze, to destroy; (historical, bound form) barbarian (tribe); foreigner

Definition

Classical/bound form with two main senses: (1) physical — level, smooth, or razed flat; (2) historical — a derogatory classical term for non-Han 'barbarian' tribes or foreign peoples, common in ancient texts. Not used in modern spoken Chinese.

bound form
(bound form) levelsmoothto razeto destroy(historical, bound form) barbarian (tribe)foreigner

Examples

  • 。
    Nà ge cūn zhuāng bèi yí wéi píng dì le.
    That village was razed to the ground.
  • 夷。
    Gǔ dài wén xiàn zhōng cháng tí dào dōng yí.
    Ancient texts often mention the eastern barbarians.
  • 夷。
    Zhè běn shū yán jiū le gǔ dài yí zú de wén huà.
    This book studies the culture of ancient barbarian tribes.
Appears in
Ethnic Groups & NationalitiesHistory

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