Definitions

Yīng (noun,adjective) Britain; England; English
yīng (adjective) outstanding; excellent
yīng (noun) hero

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "英" is structured with the grass radical (艹) atop the component "央", originally referring to the flower or blossom of a plant. Its meaning gradually extended from this botanical sense to convey qualities of excellence and distinction, evident in compounds such as "英雄" for hero and "英杰" for outstanding individual. This semantic shift occurred through metaphorical association, where the character's reference moved from a specific part of vegetation to abstract commendatory attributes.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal 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

我喜欢语。

Wǒ xǐhuān yīngyǔ.

I like English.

他来自国。

Tā láizì yīngguó.

He comes from the UK.

雄很勇敢。

Yīngxióng hěn yǒnggǎn.

Heroes are very brave.

我们每天学习语。

Wǒmen měitiān xuéxí yīngyǔ.

We study English every day.

国的首都是伦敦。

Yīngguó de shǒudū shì lúndūn.

The capital of the UK is London.

那位雄救了很多人。

Nà wèi yīngxióng jiùle hěnduō rén.

That hero saved many people.

我的语老师非常友好。

Wǒ de yīngyǔ lǎoshī fēicháng yǒuhǎo.

My English teacher is very friendly.

学习语对国际交流很重要。

Xuéxí yīngyǔ duì guójì jiāoliú hěn zhòngyào.

Learning English is very important for international communication.