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夷

yí
noun #23,118

Meanings

  1. 1 non-Han peoples (historical term)
  2. 2 barbarian (historically pejorative)
  3. 3 to raze; to level; to wipe out

Examples

HSK 3
这座城市被夷为平地。
Zhè zuò chéngshì bèi yí wéi píngdì.
The city was razed to the ground.
HSK 7-9
古代中国称周边民族为夷。
Gǔdài Zhōngguó chēng zhōubiān mínzú wéi yí.
Ancient China called surrounding peoples 'Yi' (barbarians).

Tips

register
夷 as a label for non-Han peoples is historically pejorative and reflects classical Chinese sinocentrism. In modern contexts it is used only in historical or literary discussions. As a verb meaning 'to raze/level', it remains in current use and is neutral.
history
In classical texts, the four cardinal barbarians were: 东夷 (Eastern Yi), 西戎 (Western Rong), 南蛮 (Southern Man), and 北狄 (Northern Di). These terms were ethnocentric labels from the Zhou dynasty worldview.

Components

radical
大 dà
big; person standing with arms outstretched
Frame component 大 - pictograph of a person with arms outstretched, the indexing radical. It wraps the figure of the character (top stroke through the body) while 弓 sits inside, picturing a man carrying a bow. Same radical-family includes 太 great, 天 sky, 夹 to clasp.
semantic
弓 gōng
bow (weapon)
Inside sits 弓 - pictograph of an unstrung bow, three strokes capturing its curve. Together with 大 around it, the original 夷 shows a person bearing a bow - an early Zhou-era reference to the bow-using peoples of the east coast, hence the meanings 'eastern foreigners / barbarians' and later 'to flatten, pacify'.

Stroke Order

夷 yí