乙

yǐ, zhé

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

yǐ (numeral) second in order; letter B or II in lists; second party (in contracts)

Etymology

Depicts a stream of water.

About

Originally a pictograph of a stream of water, 乙 is now the second of the ten Heavenly Stems, an ancient cyclical system for dating, ordering, and grading. It commonly means "second" or "grade B" in contexts such as academic scores or legal contracts, and it also serves as a radical for characters with turning or twisting strokes.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 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

我们班是乙班。

Wǒmen bān shì yǐ bān.

Our class is class B.

乙方需要签字。

Yǐfāng xūyào qiānzì.

Party B needs to sign.

他接种了乙肝疫苗。

Tā jiēzhòng le yǐgān yìmiáo.

He received the hepatitis B vaccine.

这是乙醇消毒液。

Zhè shì yǐchún xiāodú yè.

This is ethanol disinfectant.

这个产品是乙级。

Zhège chǎnpǐn shì yǐ jí.

This product is grade B.

乙醇是一种清洁能源。

Yǐchún shì yī zhǒng qīngjié néngyuán.

Ethanol is a clean energy source.

乙肝病毒可以通过血液传播。

Yǐgān bìngdú kěyǐ tōngguò xuèyè chuánbō.

Hepatitis B virus can be transmitted through blood.

在合同中，乙方有义务付款。

Zài hétóng zhōng, yǐfāng yǒu yìwù fùkuǎn.

In the contract, party B has the obligation to pay.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 乙

Example Words