乂 yì — govern, talented · English

乂

yì

govern, talented

At a glance · 乂

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象剪刀或交叉形，象形，本指芟草、治理。隶楷作「乂」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「乂」本指割草，引申为治理、贤才。

Structure

象形字，象剪草之形，含治理义。

At a glance

Pinyinyì

Radical丿

Strokes2

UnicodeU+4E42

Character type象形

Theme政事

Six languages, one character

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English govern, talented To govern, prune; a talented person.

Français gouverner, talentueux Gouverner, couper; une personne talentueuse.

Español gobernar, talentoso Gobernar, segar; una persona talentosa.

العربية يحكم، متميز يحكم أو يمتاز بالموهبة.

Русский управлять, талантливый Управлять, подрезать; талантливый человек.

Common words

乂yìgovern/talent
俊乂jùn yìable men

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