挹 (yì): (literary) to scoop up; to ladl…

Meanings

1 (literary) to scoop up; to ladle out (a liquid)
2 (literary) to draw toward oneself

Characters

挹

yì

to scoop; to ladle

Examples

弟子挹水而注之。

Dìzǐ yì shuǐ ér zhù zhī.

A line from Xunzi: a disciple scooped water and poured it in.

Tips

history

挹 'to scoop / ladle' is literary and not used independently in modern Chinese. The everyday word is 舀 (to scoop). It survives in the literary phrase 挹彼注兹 ('draw from there to fill here').

register

Literary only — classical prose and set phrases about drawing or ladling, not modern speech.

Components

radical

扌 shǒu

hand

扌 is the hand radical 手 in left-side form, fitting an action done with the hand — scooping or ladling.

phonetic

邑 yì

city; settlement

邑 supplies the sound yì with no meaning contribution here — a pure phonetic pick for the scooping verb.

Stroke Order

挹 yì

Related Words

抽 chōu HSK 4 #1,379

to draw out / to pull out / to smoke (cigarettes) / to extract

抽出 chōuchū #8,273

to draw out; to pull out / to find (time); to set aside

拔 bá HSK 5 #2,896

to pull up; to pull out; to uproot / to select; to promote; to stand out

出局 chūjú HSK 7-9 #2,394

to be eliminated; to be out / to be knocked out (of a competition)

出 chū HSK 1 #105

to go out / to come out / to produce / to appear

出海 chūhǎi #8,973

to go out to sea; to put out to sea / to go overseas (for business expansion)

彻头彻尾 chètóu-chèwěi #9,186

through and through / from beginning to end / out-and-out; thoroughly

撤离 chèlí HSK 6 #4,986

to withdraw; to evacuate / to pull out (from a location)

避开 bìkāi #4,764

to avoid / to steer clear of / to get out of the way

才华 cáihuá HSK 7-9 #4,126

talent / literary or artistic talent