倚 (yǐ) · to lean on, to rely on, to rest against

Meanings

1 to lean on
2 to rely on
3 to rest against

Characters

倚

yǐ

to lean on; to rely on

Examples

HSK 4

她倚在窗边看风景。

Tā yǐ zài chuāng biān kàn fēngjǐng.

She leaned against the window looking at the scenery.

HSK 4

他倚着一棵大树休息。

Tā yǐ zhe yī kē dàshù xiūxi.

He rested leaning against a big tree.

Tips

usage

倚 is more literary than 靠 (kào). In everyday speech, 靠 is preferred for 'lean on.' 倚 appears in literary contexts and idioms like 倚靠 or 倚仗 (to depend on).

Components

radical

亻 rén

person (radical form of 人)

Left-side person radical, the two-stroke side form of 人. Indexes 倚 in the big family of human-action chars alongside 休 to rest, 住 to dwell, 信 to trust. Leaning requires a body propped against a support - the radical names the leaner.

phonetic

奇 qí

strange; odd (here phonetic)

Right side 奇 supplies the sound: qí shifted to yǐ via a regular q/y alternation with tone change. The same phonetic appears in 寄 to entrust, 骑 to ride, 椅 chair - all pronounced jì/qí/yǐ, a tight phonetic family. 椅 (chair) is especially close: a chair is the canonical thing one leans on.