Definitions

E (noun,adjective) Russia; Russian
é (adverb) suddenly; very soon

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Phonetic:

About

The character "俄" is structurally composed of the human radical 人 paired with the phonetic component 我, which historically guided its pronunciation while loosely associating it with human activity. Its earliest meanings centered on concepts of suddenness or a very short span of time, frequently used in classical texts to convey immediacy or a fleeting moment. A major semantic shift occurred when the character was appropriated through phonetic borrowing to transcribe the first syllable of "Russia", as seen in the term "俄罗斯", leading it to become the established shorthand for the nation. This transition from an adjective describing temporal quality to a fixed proper noun exemplifies how characters can acquire entirely new functions based on sound correspondence, all while maintaining their original graphical construction.

Etymology Hide

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

Example Sentences Hide

罗斯是一个大国。

É luó sī shì yī gè dà guó.

Russia is a big country.

我正在学习语。

Wǒ zhèng zài xué xí é yǔ.

I am studying Russian.

式面包很好吃。

É shì miàn bāo hěn hǎo chī.

Russian-style bread is delicious.

罗斯首都是莫斯科。

É luó sī shǒu dū shì mò sī kē.

The capital of Russia is Moscow.

语比英语难学。

É yǔ bǐ yīng yǔ nán xué.

Russian is harder to learn than English.

我去过罗斯旅游。

Wǒ qù guò é luó sī lǚ yóu.

I have traveled to Russia.

罗斯的冬天非常寒冷。

É luó sī de dōng tiān fēi cháng hán lěng.

Russian winter is very cold.

中两国在经济上合作密切。

É zhōng liǎng guó zài jīng jì shàng hé zuò mì qiè.

Russia and China cooperate closely in economy.