宜 (yí): proper, should, suitable, appropriate
宜 (yí) is a Chinese character meaning “proper.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 宀 (structural) and 且 (structural). It ranks #1282 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 宜 a memorial service 且 held in a house 宀. Its radical form 宀 (roof) appears in many related characters such as 客 (kè, guest, customer), 家 (jiā, home, family), 它 (tā, it).
Definitions
- proper
- should
- suitable
- appropriate
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA memorial service 且 held in a house 宀
Decomposition: ⿱宀且 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 宜 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 宜
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 事宜noun | shì yí | matters |
| 不合时宜phrase | bù hé shí yí | out of step with current thinking |
| 便宜货noun | pián yi huò | a bargain |
| 布宜诺斯艾利斯proper-noun | bù yí nuò sī ài lì sī | Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina |
| 占便宜verb | zhàn pián yi | advantageous |
| 权宜之计phrase | quán yí zhī jì | plan of convenience (idiom) |
| 宜人verb | yí rén | nice |
| 时宜noun | shí yí | contemporary expectations |
| 小便宜noun | xiǎo pián yi | petty advantage |
| 事不宜迟phrase | shì bù yí chí | the matter should not be delayed |
| 合宜adjective | hé yí | appropriate |
| 因地制宜phrase | yīn dì zhì yí | (idiom) to use methods in line with local circumstances |
| 机宜noun | jī yí | guidelines |
| 相宜adjective | xiāng yí | to be suitable or appropriate |
| 不入时宜 | bù rù shí yí | out of step with current thinking |
宜 appears in 79 compound words: 47 as the first character, 38 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 宜 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
untimely; premature; inopportune; ill-timed; out of fashion; behind the times
out of step with current thinking; outmoded; inappropriate for the occasion
Showing 9 of 10 idioms containing 宜.
Example Sentences
这只手表是他爷爷留给他的珍贵遗物。
Zhè zhī shǒubiǎo shì tā yéye liú gěi tā de zhēnguì yíwù.
This watch is a precious keepsake left to him by his grandfather.
外交部:中美双方就特朗普访华事宜保持沟通
wài jiāo bù : zhōng měi shuāng fāng jiù tè lǎng pǔ fǎng huá shì yí bǎo chí gōu tōng
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China and the United States maintain communication on Trump's visit to China
电脑玩家哭了?中企被寄望“便宜记忆体救世主” 外媒却点2大现实:不可能...
diàn nǎo wán jiā kū le ? zhōng qǐ bèi jì wàng biàn yí jì yì tǐ jiù shì zhǔ wài méi què diǎn 2 dà xiàn shí : bù kě néng . . .
Computer gamers crying? Chinese companies are expected to be the "savior of cheap memory" Foreign media point out 2 major realities: impossible...
...|高铁西九龙站现返港潮 市民指内地物价便宜故留到最后一日
. . . gāo tiě xī jiǔ lóng zhàn xiàn fǎn gǎng cháo shì mín zhǐ nèi dì wù jià biàn yí gù liú dào zuì hòu yī rì
...| Citizens said that the prices in the mainland are cheap, so they will stay until the last day
宜昌高新区23家企业满负荷运转
yí chāng gāo xīn ōu jiā qǐ yè mǎn fù hé yùn zhuǎn
23 Enterprises in Yichang High-Tech Zone Operate at Full Capacity
春节不忘训练!侯友宜化身“一日骑警”,体验马术训练..
chūn jié bù wàng xùn liàn ! 侯 yǒu yí huā shēn yī rì qí jǐng , tī yàn mǎ shù xùn liàn . .
Spring Festival Training! HOU Youyi becomes a "one-day mounted police officer", experiencing equestrian training...
这么贵！能便宜些吗？
Zhème guì! néng piányi xiē ma?
That's so expensive! Can't you get it cheaper?
我多买一些，可以便宜点吗？
Wǒ duō mǎi yīxiē, kěyǐ piányi diǎn ma?
If I buy more, can I get them cheaper?
你们有没有比较便宜的房间？
Nǐmen yǒuméiyǒu bǐjiào piányi de fángjiān?
Do you have a room that's a little cheaper?
九点以后打电话比较便宜吗？
Jiǔ diǎn yǐhòu dǎdiànhuà bǐjiào piányi ma?
Is it cheaper to call after 9:00?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 宜 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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