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忆

憶
yì
verb #7,025

Meanings

  1. 1 to recall; to remember
  2. 2 memory; recollection

Examples

这首歌让我回忆起小时候。
Zhè shǒu gē ràngwǒ huíyì qǐ xiǎoshíhou.
This song reminds me of my childhood.
他的记忆力很好。
Tā de jìyìlì hěn hǎo.
He has a very good memory.

Tips

usage
忆 is in 回忆 (huíyì, to recall/memory), 记忆 (jìyì, memory), 记忆力 (jìyìlì, memory ability), 追忆 (zhuīyì, to reminisce). More literary than 记 (jì, to remember).

Components

radical
忄 xīn
heart; mind (radical form)
Heart radical on the left (vertical 忄 form, the compound-position variant of 心). Memory and recollection are mental/emotional acts in classical Chinese psychology, hence the heart-radical. Same family as 想 (think), 念 (miss/recall), 怕 (fear), 慢 (slow), 情 (emotion).
phonetic
乙 yǐ
second heavenly stem (here phonetic)
Right 乙 supplies the sound (yǐ → yì, regular tone shift). The simplified 忆 came from traditional 憶, which had a far more elaborate phonetic 意 (yì, 13 strokes) on the right; 乙 is a heavily reduced cursive stand-in. Pure phonetic placeholder, no semantic load.

Stroke Order

忆 yì