Definitions

(noun) ceremony; ritual
(noun) appearance; manner
(noun) apparatus; instrument

Etymology phono-semantic

Phonetic:

About

The traditional character 儀 is a phono-semantic compound with the human radical 亻 on the left and 義 on the right, which provides both the phonetic element and a semantic link to propriety. Its simplified form 仪 keeps the human radical but substitutes the simpler character 义 on the right. The core meaning refers to correct human bearing or etiquette, a concept that naturally extended to formal ceremonies and later broadened to encompass precision instruments used for measurement.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
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 Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Wu (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他们参加了毕业式。

Tāmen cānjiā le bìyè yíshì.

They attended the graduation ceremony.

他的表很整洁。

Tā de yíbiǎo hěn zhěngjié.

His appearance is very neat.

这个器非常精确。

Zhège yíqì fēicháng jīngquè.

This instrument is very precise.

学习礼很重要。

Xuéxí lǐyí hěn zhòngyào.

Learning etiquette is important.

式上的音乐很动人。

Yíshì shàng de yīnyuè hěn dòngrén.

The music at the ceremony is very moving.

她使用精密器做实验。

Tā shǐyòng jīngmì yíqì zuò shíyàn.

She uses precision instruments to conduct experiments.

表板上的数据需要仔细检查。

Yíbiǎobǎn shàng de shùjù xūyào zǐxì jiǎnchá.

The data on the dashboard needs careful checking.

国际礼在不同文化中有差异。

Guójì lǐyí zài bùtóng wénhuà zhōng yǒu chāyì.

International etiquette varies across cultures.