引 (yǐn): to draw (e.g. a bow), to pull, to stretch sth
引 (yǐn) is a Chinese character meaning “to draw (e.g. a bow).” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 弓 (structural) and 丨 (structural). It ranks #479 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 引 to pull back a bow's 弓 drawstring 丨. Its radical form 弓 (bow) appears in many related characters such as 弟 (dì, younger brother), 张 (zhāng, to open up), 强 (qiáng, stubborn).
Definitions
- to draw (e.g. a bow)
- to pull
- to stretch sth
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo pull back a bow's 弓 drawstring 丨
Decomposition: ⿰弓丨 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 引 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 引
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 引起verb | yǐn qǐ | to give rise to | 4 |
| 吸引verb | xī yǐn | to attract | 4 |
| 引发verb | yǐn fā | to lead to | 6 |
| 引导verb | yǐn dǎo | to guide | 6 |
| 引进verb | yǐn jìn | to recommend | 5 |
| 引入verb | yǐn rù | to draw into | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 引擎 | yǐn qíng | engine (loanword) |
| 引爆 | yǐn bào | to ignite |
| 勾引 | gōu yǐn | to seduce |
| 指引 | zhǐ yǐn | to guide |
| 吸引力 | xī yǐn lì | attractive force (such as gravitation) |
| 引诱 | yǐn yòu | to coerce (sb into doing sth bad) |
| 引用 | yǐn yòng | to quote |
| 引力 | yǐn lì | gravitation (force) |
| 引出 | yǐn chū | to extract |
| 引渡 | yǐn dù | to extradite |
| 引见 | yǐn jiàn | to introduce (sb) |
| 牵引 | qiān yǐn | to pull |
| 引荐 | yǐn jiàn | to recommend sb |
| 索引 | suǒ yǐn | index |
| 引擎盖 | yǐn qíng gài | (car) hood |
引 appears in 100 compound words: 62 as the first character, 18 as the last, and 20 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 引 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (25)
waiting on tiptoes and craning one's neck (idiom); to look forward eagerly; to long for
lit. to lead the dog into the village (idiom); fig. to introduce a potential source of trouble
waiting on tiptoes and craning one's neck (idiom); to look forward eagerly; to long for
lit. to lead the dog into the village (idiom); fig. to introduce a potential source of trouble
Showing 12 of 25 idioms containing 引.
Example Sentences
引字由4笔画组成，结构很巧妙。
yǐn zì yóu bǐ huà zǔ chéng , jié gòu hěn qiǎo miào .
The character "引" consists of four strokes and features a remarkably ingenious structure.
...全球加征关税至15% 回应最高院判决 另引例实施150日
. . . quán qiú jiā zhēng guān shuì zhì 1 5 huí yīng zuì gāo yuàn pàn jué lìng yǐn lì shí shī 1 5 0 rì
... Global tariffs increased to 15% in response to the Supreme Court's judgment and implemented for 150 days
...2035前创10万职位 马惟善:今年招商引资 打造湾区桥头堡
. . . 2 0 3 5 qián chuàng 1 0 wàn zhí wèi mǎ 惟 shàn : jīn nián zhāo shāng yǐn zī dǎ zào wān qū qiáo tóu bǎo
... Create 100,000 jobs before 2035 Ma Weishan: This year's investment promotion to build a bridgehead in the Bay Area
油品、建案双引擎全开 北基下步锁定绿能
yóu pǐn , jiàn àn shuāng yǐn qíng quán kāi běi jī xià bù suǒ dìng lǜ néng
The dual engines of oil products and construction projects are fully open, and the next step of the North Base is to lock in green energy
新冬能·场外音丨陆玮鑫:冬奥会需引入“鹰眼挑战”系..
xīn dōng néng chǎng wài yīn 丨 lù 玮 鑫 : dōng ào huì xū yǐn rù yīng yǎn tiāo zhàn xì . .
New Winter Energy Off-Site Sound丨Lu Weixin: The Winter Olympics need to introduce the "Eagle Eye Challenge" system:
AI+玩具引领消费风潮,成都有店铺多次补货仍供不应....
A I wán jù yǐn lǐng xiāo fèi fēng cháo , chéng dōu yǒu diàn pù duō cì bǔ huò réng gōng bù yīng . . . .
AI+ toys lead the consumption trend, and Chengdu stores have replenished many times but are still in short supply....
空气中的微粒可以引发癌症。
Kōngqì zhōng de wēilì kěyǐ yǐnfā áizhèng.
Tiny particles in the air can cause cancer.
珍比苏珊更吸引人。
Zhēn bǐ Sūshān gèng xīyǐn rén.
Jane is more attractive than Susan.
这场爆炸有可能是瓦斯外泄引起的。
Zhè chǎng bàozhà yǒu kěnéng shì wǎsī wàixiè yǐnqǐ de.
The explosion may have been caused by a gas leak.
爱因斯坦预测太阳的引力会弯曲光线。
àiyīnsītǎn yùcè tàiyang de yǐnlì huì wānqū guāngxiàn.
Einstein predicted that the Sun's gravity would bend light.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 引 (yǐn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 引 and 推?
How many strokes does 引 have?
What is the radical of 引?
What are the components of 引?
What are common words containing 引?
What characters sound the same as 引 (yǐn)?
Is 引 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 引 with real-time feedback
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