意

yì
noun #1,424

Meanings

  1. 1 idea; thought; meaning
  2. 2 intention; wish

Examples

HSK 2
Nǐ shì shénme yìsi?
What do you mean?
HSK 3
Zhùyì ānquán!
Pay attention to safety!
HSK 5
Zhège lǐwù hěn yǒu yìyì.
This gift is very meaningful.

Tips

usage
意 is in countless essential words: 意思 (meaning), 注意 (to pay attention), 愿意 (willing), 意见 (opinion), 有意思 (interesting), 不好意思 (sorry/embarrassed), 意义 (significance), 满意 (satisfied).

Components

radical
心 xīn
heart; mind
Bottom heart radical (Kangxi #61) - the indexing radical, a stylised picture of the heart organ. Anchors the mental-state semantics: 意 covers ideas, intentions, thoughts, meaning, will (注意 attention, 意见 opinion, 同意 agree, 主意 plan). Same radical groups 想, 念, 怎, 思 - the bottom-position 心 family of mental verbs.
semantic
音 yīn
sound; tone
Top 音 (sound) - provides the semantic anchor: thoughts and intentions are the unspoken sounds of the heart. The compound is a classic 会意 (compound ideograph): sound (音) over heart (心) = the heart's sound = idea, intention, meaning. Same 音 standalone means 'sound, tone, music.'

Stroke Order

意 yì