Dictionary › 义

义

yì

HSK 5 Character Traditional 義

What 义 means

1. justice
2. righteousness
3. meaning
4. foster (father etc)
5. adopted
6. artificial (tooth, limb etc)
7. relationship
8. friendship

Other readings

义 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Yìsurname Yi; Italy (abbr. for {义大利|Yì dà lì})

Example sentences

• 此句有歧义
  Cǐ jù yǒu qí yì
  This sentence is ambiguous.
• 这毫无意义。
  That's quite meaningless.
• 他想要正义。
  He wants justice.
• 这是您的义务。
  Zhè shì nín de yìwù.
  That's your responsibility.
• 我为正义而战。
  Wǒ wèi zhèngyì ér zhàn.
  I fight in the cause of justice.
• 你有义务还债。
  Nǐ yǒu yìwù huánzhài.
  You're liable for the debt.

Words starting with 义

• 义务yì wùduty; obligation; volunteer (work etc)
• 义务教育yì wù jiào yùcompulsory education
• 义气yì qìspirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice; code of brotherhood; also pr. yì qi
• 义工yì gōngvolunteer worker; volunteer work
• 义无反顾yì wú fǎn gùhonor does not allow one to glance back (idiom); duty-bound not to turn back…
• 义不容辞yì bù róng cínot to be shirked without dishonor (idiom); incumbent; bounden (duty)
• 义愤填膺yì fèn tián yīngrighteous indignation fills one's breast (idiom); to feel indignant at injustice
• 义和团Yì hé tuánthe Righteous and Harmonious Fists; the Boxers (history)
• 义卖yì màito hold a charity bazaar; to sell goods for a good cause
• 义演yì yǎnbenefit performance; charity show
• 义愤yì fènrighteous indignation; moral indignation
• 义勇军yì yǒng jūnvolunteer army
• 义父yì fùadoptive father
• 义理yì lǐdoctrine (esp. religious); argumentation (in a speech or essay)
• 义军yì jūnvolunteer army
• 义士yì shìhigh-minded and righteous person; patriot; loyalist
• 义交yì jiāotraffic auxiliary police (Tw)
• 义人yì rénrighteous man
• 义女yì nǚadopted daughter
• 义子yì zǐadopted son
• 义学yì xuéfree school (old)
• 义式Yì shì(Taiwan) Italian-style
• 义行yì xíngvirtuous deed
• 义项yì xiàngsense (of a word)

Words containing 义

• 意义yì yìsense; meaning; significance
• 正义zhèng yìjustice; righteousness; just; righteous; (in the titles of traditional commentaries)…
• 定义dìng yìdefinition; to define
• 含义hán yìmeaning (implicit in a phrase); implied meaning; hidden meaning
• 起义qǐ yìuprising; insurrection; revolt
• 见义勇为jiàn yì yǒng wéi(idiom, from the Analects) (usu. of a passer-by who comes across a critical situation) to…
• 贬义biǎn yìderogatory sense; negative connotation
• 社会主义shè huì zhǔ yìsocialism
• 主义zhǔ yì-ism; ideology
• 名义míng yìname; titular; nominal
• 资本主义zī běn zhǔ yìcapitalism
• 共产主义gòng chǎn zhǔ yìcommunism
• 帝国主义dì guó zhǔ yìimperialism
• 马克思主义Mǎ kè sī zhǔ yìMarxism
• 有意义yǒu yì yìto make sense; to have meaning; to have significance
• 恐怖主义kǒng bù zhǔ yìterrorism
• 自由主义zì yóu zhǔ yìliberalism
• 民族主义mín zú zhǔ yìnationalism; national self-determination; principle of nationalism, the first of Dr Sun…
• 爱国主义ài guó zhǔ yìpatriotism
• 道义dào yìmorality; righteousness and justice
• 词义cí yìmeaning of a word
• 语义yǔ yìmeaning of words; semantic
• 现实主义xiàn shí zhǔ yìrealism
• 讲义jiǎng yìteaching materials

Characters that look like 义

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 文wénlanguage; culture; writing
• 支zhīto support; to sustain; to erect
• 叉chāfork; pitchfork; prong

Sounds the same

Read yì, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 意(bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination…
• 议to comment on; to discuss; to suggest
• 易easy; amiable; to change
• 亿100 million
• 亦also
• 艺skill; art
• 译to translate; to interpret
• 忆to recollect; to remember; memory
• 谊friendship; also pr. yí
• 益benefit; profit; advantage
• 裔(bound form) descendants; (bound form) of ... ancestry (as in 华裔; (literary) distant lands
• 异different; other; hetero-