夷 (yí) · non-Han peoples (historical term)

Meanings

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

Characters

夷

yí

non-Han peoples; level; raze

Examples

HSK 5

这座城市被夷为平地。

Zhè zuò chéngshì bèi yí wéi píngdì.

The city was razed to the ground.

HSK 6

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'.