倚

yǐ

亻 + 奇

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

yǐ (verb) to lean on; to rely upon

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 奇 represents the sound.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 奇

About

The character 倚 (yǐ) is a phono-semantic compound: the left side contains the person radical 亻 (rén), which signals a connection to human actions or physical postures, while the right side holds the phonetic component 奇 (qí), indicating the pronunciation. The basic meaning refers to the physical act of a person leaning against a solid object, like a wall or piece of furniture, for support and rest. From this literal posture of resting one's weight on something external, the sense shifted to the abstract concept of relying or depending on another person or a particular situation for assistance. As a result, 倚 functions for both physical leaning and psychological or practical dependence, and it commonly occurs in compound words that express counting on an ally's strength or support.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我倚着大树休息。

Wǒ yǐzhe dà shù xiūxi.

I rest leaning against the big tree.

孩子倚在妈妈怀里。

Háizi yǐ zài māma huái lǐ.

The child leans in the mother's arms.

他倚靠自己的努力成功。

Tā yǐkào zìjǐ de nǔlì chénggōng.

He succeeded by relying on his own efforts.

公司倚重这位经验丰富的经理。

Gōngsī yǐzhòng zhè wèi jīngyàn fēngfù de jīnglǐ.

The company heavily depends on this experienced manager.

她倚窗而立，看着外面的风景。

Tā yǐ chuāng ér lì, kànzhe wàimiàn de fēngjǐng.

She stands by the window, watching the scenery outside.

这个计划倚仗大家的合作才能完成。

Zhège jìhuà yǐzhàng dàjiā de hézuò cái néng wánchéng.

This plan can only be completed by relying on everyone's cooperation.

在困难时期，我们互相倚靠，共渡难关。

Zài kùnnán shíqī, wǒmen hùxiāng yǐkào, gòng dù nánguān.

During difficult times, we rely on each other to overcome challenges together.

他的论点倚赖于未经证实的假设，因此缺乏说服力。

Tā de lùndiǎn yǐlài yú wèi jīng zhèngshí de jiǎshè, yīncǐ quēfá shuōfúlì.

His argument relies on unproven assumptions, thus lacking persuasiveness.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 奇

倚