艺 yì — art, skill · English

艺

yì

art, skill

At a glance · 艺

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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、金文作「埶」，从丮（手）从坴（土）从禾，会意以手种植。小篆沿为「藝」，简化作「艺」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「艺」本指种植（园艺），引申为技艺、才能。

Structure

会意字，象手持禾植于土，本为种植。

At a glance

Pinyinyì

Radical艹

Strokes5

UnicodeU+827A

Character type会意

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English art, skill Art, skill, craft; originally to plant.

Français art, talent Art, talent, métier; à l'origine planter.

Español arte, habilidad Arte, habilidad, oficio; originalmente plantar.

العربية فن، مهارة فن أو مهارة؛ كان يزرع.

Русский искусство, мастерство Искусство, умение; изначально сажать.

Common words

艺术yì shùart
才艺cái yìtalent

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