Definitions
(noun)
remain; surplus
(adjective)
excessive; remaining; extra
Etymology
Pictograph of a small shelter. Based on the original meaning "residence", now written as 舍. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character "余" originally functioned as a first-person pronoun in classical Chinese, with its modern structure often analyzed as the components "人" placed above "示", a descriptive interpretation that arose from later analyses rather than its earliest configurations. Over time, this character's semantic range expanded to include the meaning of "surplus" or "remaining", which led to the creation of the traditional form "餘" that adds the "食" component to explicitly connect the notion to food or excess. This development allowed the character to carry both its pronominal sense and the concept of extra or remainder in various textual contexts.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我有多余的时间。
业余爱好让我快乐。
剩余的食物放在冰箱里。
他业余时间学习英语。
这本书多余的部分可以删掉。
余额不足，请充值。
除了工作，余下的时间我都用来休息。
在余下的旅程中，我们需要小心。