Definitions
non-Han people, esp. to the East of China; barbarians; to wipe out; to exterminate; to tear down; to raze
Etymology
Originally depicted a rope wrapped around an arrow. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 夷, structured from the components 大 and 弓, derives from an etymological association with archery, initially serving as an exonym for ethnic groups situated east of ancient China's central territories. Over time, its primary semantic function expanded from denoting these specific eastern communities to a broader reference for foreign or peripheral peoples, often imbued with a sense of cultural distinction. This lexical shift was accompanied by the development of additional meanings, such as "to level" or "to pacify", seen in verbs like 夷平, reflecting a conceptual extension from its original ethnic connotations to abstract ideas of smoothing or subduing, thereby illustrating a gradual diversification in usage while its orthographic form remained unchanged.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我们去夷陵区旅行。
历史书中提到了夷洲。
古代中国有东夷部落。
战争夷平了那座城市。
这个地方曾经是夷狄之地。
他们试图夷灭敌人的势力。
夷族之祸在古代很残酷。
考古学家发现了夷人的遗址。