役

yì

彳 + 殳

Definitions

yì (noun) military service; war; battle

yì (noun) forced labor; corvée; obligatory task

yì (verb) to use as servant; to employ

Etymology

Originally written as 伇, which depicts a person (亻) being controlled by a weapon (殳). Based on the original meaning "to command". The meaning later shifted to "servant" and "service".

About

役 (yì) combines the step radical 彳 (chì), indicating movement, with 殳 (shū), a weapon. Its earliest form was 伇, which directly depicted a person 亻 being controlled by a weapon 殳, giving the original meaning "to command". Over time, this sense shifted to "servant" and "service", and the character came to denote compulsory labor, military conscription, and domestic servants.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他在军队服役。

Tā zài jūnduì fú yì.

He is serving in the military.

兵役是公民的义务。

Bīng yì shì gōngmín de yìwù.

Military service is a citizen's duty.

这场战役非常激烈。

Zhè chǎng zhàn yì fēicháng jīliè.

This battle is very fierce.

他退役后开始了新生活。

Tā tuì yì hòu kāishǐle xīn shēnghuó.

After retiring from military service, he started a new life.

古代有劳役制度。

Gǔdài yǒu láo yì zhìdù.

In ancient times, there was a corvée system.

役使牲畜是传统农业的一部分。

Yì shǐ shēngchù shì chuántǒng nóngyè de yī bùfen.

Using draft animals is part of traditional agriculture.

衙役在县衙里当差。

Yá yì zài xiàn yá lǐ dāng chāi.

The yamen runners work in the county yamen.

这场战役的胜利改变了历史。

Zhè chǎng zhàn yì de shènglì gǎibiànle lìshǐ.

The victory of this battle changed history.

Related Characters

Component: 彳

Component: 殳

Example Words