Definitions

āi (adverb) in order; in sequence; close to; adjacent to
ái (verb) to suffer; to endure
ái (verb) to delay; to stall; to dawdle

Etymology phono-semantic

hand

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 挨 is a phono-semantic compound with the hand radical 扌 on the left, indicating an action, and the phonetic component 矣 on the right. Originally, it referred to physical actions like pushing, striking, or coming into forceful contact. Over time, its meaning diverged into two usages based on pronunciation: one signifying to suffer, endure, or be beaten, and the other meaning to be adjacent to, next to, or to proceed in sequence. The component 矣, a classical particle marking sentence completion, provides only phonetic value here.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

着妈妈坐。

Wǒ āi zhe māma zuò.

I sit next to mom.

小狗着猫睡觉。

Xiǎo gǒu āi zhe māo shuìjiào.

The puppy sleeps next to the cat.

他今天饿了。

Tā jīntiān ái è le.

He is hungry today.

我不想骂。

Wǒ bù xiǎng ái mà.

I don't want to be scolded.

因为迟到,他批评了。

Yīnwèi chídào, tā ái pīpíng le.

Because he was late, he was criticized.

在战场上,士兵们饿受冻。

Zài zhànchǎng shàng, shìbīng men ái è shòu dòng.

On the battlefield, the soldiers suffer from hunger and cold.

如果你不努力,就会打。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù nǔlì, jiù huì ái dǎ.

If you don't work hard, you will be beaten.

尽管了许多苦,他仍然坚持学习。

Jǐnguǎn ái le xǔduō kǔ, tā réngrán jiānchí xuéxí.

Although he suffered many hardships, he still persisted in studying.