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懿 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
懿yìadmirable, esteemed, virtuouszg, 22 strokes, radical 心
懿yìrestrainunknown, 22 strokes, radical 心
yì(yi4) T4
  1. 1admirable, esteemed, virtuous
  2. 2restrain
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

懿yì(yi4)

The character 懿 (yì) conveys a sense of admiration and virtue, often used to describe someone who is esteemed or virtuous in character. It can also imply a sense of restraint or propriety in behavior, making it a positive descriptor in both personal and formal contexts.

Strokes22Radical心
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, virtues such as respect and admiration for one's character are highly valued, often reflected in historical texts and teachings. The concept of virtuous behavior is integral to Confucian teachings, which influence modern societal values.

Memory Tip

Imagine a wise sage (the character ‘亻’ on the left) who embodies virtue and restraint, and is admired by all. The right side ‘意’ (meaning intention) suggests that this sage's admirable qualities stem from pure intentions.

Meanings of 懿

yì(yi4)
1admirable, esteemed, virtuous
2restrain
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 懿

懿Simplified
22Strokes
心Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 懿

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Podcast: 懿

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AI Study Notes for 懿

Usage Notes

While 懿 is not commonly used in everyday conversations, it may appear in literary or formal contexts, especially when discussing someone's character. Be cautious of the tone; it can be confused with similar-sounding words that have different meanings.

HSK Study Tips

As an uncommon character, 懿 is not included in the HSK levels, but it connects to the theme of qualities and virtues found in higher HSK levels. Students should focus on its usage in classical texts and writings that emphasize moral virtues.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 懿 with similar characters like 义 (yì, justice) due to their similar pronunciations. For instance, saying '他的懿很强' (His righteousness is strong) is incorrect; the correct form would be '他的义很强' (His sense of justice is strong).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 懿

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Etymology of 懿

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

heart

Semantic (meaning)心
+
Phonetic (sound)壹
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 懿

  1. 1The meaning half心 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half壹 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayheart
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 懿? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 懿?

Decomposition of 懿

IDS Structure⿰壹恣
懿Full Character
=
壹yi1
left
恣zi4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 懿?

How to say admirable, esteemed, virtuous in Chinese

“admirable, esteemed, virtuous” in Chinese is懿yì

The character 懿 (yì) conveys a sense of admiration and virtue, often used to describe someone who is esteemed or virtuous in character. It can also imply a sense of restraint or propriety in behavior, making it a positive descriptor in both personal and formal contexts.

When to use 懿

While 懿 is not commonly used in everyday conversations, it may appear in literary or formal contexts, especially when discussing someone's character. Be cautious of the tone; it can be confused with similar-sounding words that have different meanings.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 懿 with similar characters like 义 (yì, justice) due to their similar pronunciations. For instance, saying '他的懿很强' (His righteousness is strong) is incorrect; the correct form would be '他的义很强' (His sense of justice is strong).

Write 懿

懿

Practice writing 懿 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar Patterns of 懿

懿 carries 2 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.

Exercise 1 of 2

Complete the Sentence

确保____行得到嘉奖。

Make sure that good behaviour is rewarded.

Example Sentences for 懿 (1)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
确保懿行得到嘉奖。

què bǎo yì háng dé dào jiā jiǎng。

Make sure that good behaviour is rewarded.
Exercise 1 of 1

Reorder the Sentence

Make sure that good behaviour is rewarded.

Tap tokens to build the sentence

Word Family of 懿

Words Containing This Character3
懿yìrestrain
司马懿Sima Yi (179-251), warlord under Cao Cao and subsequently founder of the Jin dynasty司馬懿
唐懿宗Emperor Yizong of Tang (833-873), reign name of eighteenth Tang emperor Li Cui 李漼[Lǐ​Cuǐ], reigned 859-873
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 懿 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 懿

You can use 懿 to describe someone's positive characteristics, such as '他是一个懿德的人' (He is a person of admirable virtue).

Jason Recommends

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