夷

夷 U+5937, 夷 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5937 ← 夶 [U+5936] CJK Unified Ideographs 夸 → [U+5938]

Translingual

Han character

夷 (Kangxi radical 37, 大+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 大弓 (KN) or 難大弓 (XKN), four-corner 5003₂, composition ⿻大弓)

Derived terms

• 𰃼, 姨, 咦, 胰, 蛦, 桋, 跠, 鮧, 侇, 峓, 恞, 痍, 洟, 羠, 鴺, 荑, 𢓡

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 249, character 15
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 5852
• Dae Jaweon: page 509, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 527, character 5
• Unihan data for U+5937

Chinese

simp. and trad.		夷
2nd round simp.		⿻夫㇆
⿻夫㇆ - 1981

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 夷
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (夷) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
桋	*l'iːl, *lil
荑	*l'iːl, *lil
銕	*l'iːl, *l̥ʰiːd
鴺	*l'iːl, *lil
鮧	*l'iːl, *lil
洟	*l̥ʰiːls, *lil
羠	*ljilʔ, *lil
咦	*hril
夷	*lil
姨	*lil
痍	*lil
峓	*lil
恞	*lil
眱	*lil
蛦	*lil
胰	*lil, *lɯ
跠	*lil

Originally ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 矢 (“arrow”) + [Term?] (“rope”). Later forms ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 大 (“person; big”) + 弓 (“bow”).

Etymology 1

According to Yuè Juè Shū (越絕書), 夷 (OC *lil) is also the Yue word for "sea" (1). Therefore, Schuessler (2007) proposes an Austroasiatic origin; compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *d(n)liʔ (“large river, sea”) (whence Khmer ទន្លេ (tŭənlei, “large river”) and Kuy thlèː (“sea”)). Meanwhile, Schuessler associates similar Hmong forms like Chuanqiandian Cluster Miao tl̥e (“river”) (< Proto-Hmong-Mien *gle) to *溪 (OC *kʰeː) "creek, rivulet, rill" instead.

In contrast, Ferlus (2009) reconstructs 夷's Old Chinese pronunciation as [lɨ] and connects 夷 to Proto-Kra-Dai *k-ri: (“Kra-Dai endonym”) (whence Thai ไท (tai, “"Tai endonym"”) and Hlai Hlai (“"Hlai endonym"”)). However, Ferlus concedes that such a derivation of 夷 from *k-ri: "remains speculative, [...] not as firmly established as for Hlai and Tai/Thai".

Meanwhile, Laurent Sagart (2008) instead suggested that the Yi languages were ancestral to Austronesian languages and formed a sister-group to Sino-Tibetan, probably related to Proto-Austronesian *i₃ (“personal article”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yí (yi²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ji⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yì
• Northern Min (KCR): ǐ
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): î

  (Teochew, Peng'im): i⁵

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶yi / ²yi

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yí
    • Zhuyin: ㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yí
    • Wade–Giles: i²
    • Yale: yí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yi
    • Palladius: и (i)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ji⁴
    • Yale: yìh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ji⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiː²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yì
    • Hakka Romanization System: i^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yi²
    • Sinological IPA: /i¹¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yì
    • Hakka Romanization System: (r)i^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yi²
    • Sinological IPA: /(j)i¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ǐ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: î
    • Tâi-lô: î
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ii
    • IPA (Xiamen): /i²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /i²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /i¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /i²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /i²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: i⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: î
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶yi
    • MiniDict: yi^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhi
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦi²³/
  • (Northern: Songjiang, Chongming, Suzhou, Changzhou, Jiaxing, Tongxiang, Haining, Haiyan, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo)
    • Wugniu: ²yi
    • MiniDict: yi^平
    • Sinological IPA (Songjiang): /ɦi³¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Chongming): /ɦi²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /ɦi²²³/
    • Sinological IPA (Changzhou): /ɦi¹³/
    • Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /ɦi³¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Tongxiang): /ɦi²²/
    • Sinological IPA (Haining): /ɦi¹¹³/
    • Sinological IPA (Haiyan): /ɦi³¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /ɦi²³/
    • Sinological IPA (Shaoxing): /ɦi²³¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /ɦi³¹³/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 夷
Mandarin	Beijing	/i³⁵/
	Harbin	/i²⁴/
	Tianjin	/i⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/i⁴²/
	Qingdao	/i⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/i⁴²/
	Xi'an	/i²⁴/
	Xining	/ji²¹³/
	Yinchuan	/i⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/i⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/i⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/i²¹³/
	Chengdu	/i³¹/
	Guiyang	/i²¹/
	Kunming	/i³¹/
	Nanjing	/i²⁴/
	Hefei	/zz̩⁵⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/i¹¹/
	Pingyao	/i¹³/
	Hohhot	/i³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/ɦi²³/
	Suzhou	/ɦi¹³/
	Hangzhou	/ɦi²¹³/
	Wenzhou	/ji³¹/
Hui	Shexian	/i⁴⁴/
	Tunxi	/i⁴⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/i¹³/
	Xiangtan	/i¹²/
Gan	Nanchang	/i⁴⁵/
Hakka	Meixian	/i¹¹/
	Taoyuan	/ʒï¹¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/ji²¹/
	Nanning	/ji²¹/
	Hong Kong	/ji²¹/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/i³⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/i⁵³/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/i²¹/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/i⁵⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/zi³¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: yij

Rime
Character	夷
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	以脂切
Baxter	yij
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/jiɪ/
Pan Wuyun	/ji/
Shao Rongfen	/jɪ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ji/
Li Rong	/i/
Wang Li	/ji/
Bernhard Karlgren	/i/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yí
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ji4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*ləj/

  (Zhengzhang): /*lil/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	夷	夷
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yí	yí
Middle Chinese	‹ yij ›	‹ yij ›
Old Chinese	/*ləj/	/*ləj/
English	level, peaceful	foreigner (especially to the east)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	夷
Reading #	1/1
No.	14862
Phonetic component	夷
Rime group	脂
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	姨
Old Chinese	/*lil/

Definitions

夷

1. an ancient tribe in eastern China

   東夷／东夷  ―  dōngyí  ―  Eastern Barbarians

2. barbarian; foreigners; non-Han people

   師夷長技以制夷／师夷长技以制夷 [Classical Chinese]  ―  shī yí cháng jì yǐ zhì yí [Pinyin]  ―  learn the Westerners' tricks so as to control them

3. to level; to raze

   夷為平地／夷为平地  ―  yíwèipíngdì  ―  to level to the ground

4. to eradicate; to obliterate

   夷三族 [Classical Chinese]  ―  yí sān zú [Pinyin]  ―  to exterminate three clans (as a form of kin punishment)

5. flat; level; smooth; safe

   化險為夷／化险为夷  ―  huàxiǎnwèiyí  ―  to turn danger into safety

6. someone of the same generation
7. happy; joyous (Can we add an example for this sense?)
8. 23rd tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "ease" (𝌜)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 外國人 (“foreigner”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		夷, 夷人, 外夷, 四夷, 胡人
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		外國人, 外賓, 外人, 洋人
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	老外, 色糖
	Taiwan	外國人, 老外
	Harbin	外國人, 老外
	Singapore	外國人
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	老外
	Jinan	外國人, 老外, 洋人
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	外國人
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	老外, 洋人, 洋鬼子
	Wanrong	洋人
	Xi'an	老外, 洋人
	Yanqi	外國人
	Xuzhou	老外
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	外國人, 夷人
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	洋人, 老外, 洋鬼子
	Lanzhou	外國人
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	老外, 外國人, 洋人
	Wuhan	外國人, 洋人
	Guiyang	外國人, 洋人
	Kunming	老外, 洋老咪
	Guilin	外國人
	Liuzhou	老外
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	外國人, 老外, 洋人, 洋鬼子
	Yangzhou	外國人, 老外
Cantonese	Guangzhou	外國人, 老番
	Hong Kong	外國人
	Taishan	老外
	Dongguan	番鬼佬, 鬼佬
	Qinzhou	鬼佬, 外國佬, 番鬼佬
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	老番鬼
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	鬼佬
	Singapore (Guangfu)	外國人
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	鬼佬
	Móng Cái	外國人, 鬼佬
	Yangon (Taishan)	紅毛鬼, 外國人
	Mandalay (Taishan)	外國人
Gan	Nanchang	外國人, 洋人
	Pengze	外國佬
	Lichuan	外國人, 洋人
	Pingxiang	洋人
Hakka	Meixian	外國人, 番人, 番仔, 番鬼
	Yudu	外國人, 外國佬, 洋人
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	外國人
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	外國人
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	外國人
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	外國人
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	外國人
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	外國人
Huizhou	Jixi	外國佬
Jin	Taiyuan	外國人, 洋人, 洋鬼子
	Xinzhou	外國人
Northern Min	Jian'ou	外國人, 番仔
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	番儂, 番囝, 番囝哥, 鬼佬
Southern Min	Xiamen	外國儂, 番仔
	Quanzhou	番仔
	Hui'an	外國仔
	Zhangzhou	番仔
	Singapore (Hokkien)	外國儂
	Manila (Hokkien)	外國儂
	Shantou	外國儂, 番鬼, 番囝
	Jieyang	番囝, 番儂, 番囝鬼
	Singapore (Teochew)	外地儂, 外國儂
	Leizhou	番邦儂
Puxian Min	Putian	番囝
	Xianyou	番囝
Central Min	Nanping (Wangtai, Yanping)	外國人
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Sanxiang)	番鬼佬
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	外國人
Wu	Shanghai	老外, 外國人, 外頭人, 洋人
	Shanghai (Chongming)	外國人
	Suzhou	外國人
	Danyang	老外, 洋人
	Hangzhou	外國佬兒
	Wenzhou	番人
	Jinhua	外國人, 外國佬, 洋鬼子兒
Xiang	Changsha	外國人, 外國佬, 洋人子, 洋人
	Loudi	洋人, 外國佬
Note	Terms that include 鬼 and/or 番 are potentially derogatory.

Compounds

• 不夷
• 不夷不惠
• 以夷伐夷
• 以夷制夷
• 以夷治夷
• 伯夷
• 伯夷叔齊／伯夷叔齐
• 伯夷父
• 優婆夷／优婆夷 (yōupóyí)
• 冰夷 (Bīngyí)
• 凌夷 (língyí)
• 創夷／创夷
• 化險為夷／化险为夷 (huà xiǎn wéi yí)
• 匪夷所思 (fěiyísuǒsī)
• 南夷
• 參夷／参夷
• 唐夷
• 四夷 (sìyí)
• 均夷作用
• 坦夷
• 夏威夷
• 夏威夷州
• 夷三族
• 夷世
• 夷九族
• 夷人 (yírén)
• 夷俟
• 夷堅志／夷坚志
• 夷姤
• 夷平 (yípíng)
• 夷延
• 夷悅／夷悦 (yíyuè)
• 夷惠
• 夷愉 (yíyú)
• 夷懌／夷怿
• 夷戮
• 夷易
• 夷昧
• 夷服
• 夷槃 (yípán)
• 夷歌
• 夷滅／夷灭
• 夷漫
• 夷為平地／夷为平地 (yíwéipíngdì)
• 夷狄 (yídí)
• 夷猶／夷犹
• 夷由
• 夷瘳
• 夷白
• 夷簡／夷简
• 夷衾
• 夷陵 (Yílíng)
• 夷險／夷险
• 夷險一節／夷险一节
• 夷靡
• 夷齊／夷齐
• 女夷
• 尊王攘夷 (zūnwángrǎngyí)
• 履險如夷／履险如夷
• 島夷／岛夷 (dǎoyí)
• 嵎夷
• 希夷
• 平夷
• 擺夷／摆夷 (Bǎiyí)
• 攘夷 (rǎngyí)
• 新夷
• 明夷 (míngyí)
• 昆夷
• 東夷／东夷 (Dōngyí)
• 武夷山 (Wǔyíshān)
• 毀宗夷族／毁宗夷族
• 民夷
• 江左夷吾
• 波羅夷／波罗夷 (bōluóyí)
• 淮夷
• 淩夷／凌夷 (língyí)
• 混夷
• 無夷／无夷
• 燒夷彈／烧夷弹
• 猶夷／犹夷 (yóuyù)
• 用夏變夷／用夏变夷
• 畎夷
• 番夷
• 視險如夷／视险如夷 (shìxiǎnrúyí)
• 視險若夷／视险若夷 (shìxiǎnruòyí)
• 芟夷 (shānyí)
• 蠻夷／蛮夷 (mányí)
• 蠻夷戎狄／蛮夷戎狄 (mányí róngdí)
• 裔夷 (yìyí)
• 西南夷 (Xīnányí)
• 讎夷／雠夷
• 赴險如夷／赴险如夷
• 辛夷 (xīnyí)
• 鄙夷 (bǐyí)
• 醜夷／丑夷
• 陵夷 (língyí)
• 馮夷／冯夷 (Féngyí)
• 鳥夷／鸟夷
• 鴟夷／鸱夷

 

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): thâi

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• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thâi
    • Tâi-lô: thâi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: taai
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tʰai²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰai²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tʰai¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tʰai²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tʰai²³/

Definitions

夷

1. (Hokkien) Alternative form of 刣 (“to kill”)

References

• “夷”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

夷

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

1. ancient tribes in eastern China
2. level (flat and low)
3. levelled destruction

Readings

• Go-on: い (i)
• Kan-on: い (i)
• Kun: えびす (ebisu, 夷)、ころす (korosu, 夷す)、たいらげる (tairageru, 夷らげる)^{←たひらげる (tafirageru, 夷らげる, historical)}
• Nanori: ひな (hina)、ひら (hira)

Compounds

Compounds

• 以(い)夷(い)攻(こう)夷(い) (īkōi)
• 夷(い)狄(てき) (iteki)
• 華(か)夷(い) (Kai)
• 九(きゅう)夷(い) (Kyūi)
• 険(けん)夷(い), 嶮(けん)夷(い) (ken'i)
• 攘(じょう)夷(い) (jōi)
• 焼(しょう)夷(い) (shōi)
• 東(とう)夷(い) (Tōi)
• 平(へい)夷(い) (heī)
• 蛮(ばん)夷(い), 蕃(ばん)夷(い) (ban'i)
• 蝦夷(えぞ) (Ezo)
• 蝦夷(えみし) (Emishi)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
夷
えびす Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

⟨emi₁si⟩ → */emʲisɨ/ → /emisə/ → /ebisu/

Shift from Old Japanese 蝦夷 (Emishi), modern Ezo.

Alternative forms

• 戎

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) えびす [éꜜbìsù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [e̞bʲisɨ]

Noun

夷(えびす) • (ebisu) 

1. (historical) Synonym of 蝦夷 (Ezo): an ancient ethnic group attested in the Nihon Shoki that once lived on what is now the Kantō, Hokuriku and Tōhoku regions, likely as far as Hokkaido, possibly related to the Ainu people; dubbed "barbarians" or "savages" by the Yamato.
2. a person living far away from the 都 (miyako, “capital”), loosely translated to "bumpkin" or "hick"

   Synonym: 田舎者 (inakamono)

3. (regional, derogatory) a barbarian, savage, especially referring to the 東夷 (azuma-ebisu, “warrior from the eastern parts of Japan”)
   • 1204, Akishino Gesseishū (book 1, poem 223)

     わがおもふ人(ひと)だにすまばみちのくのえびすの里(さと)もうときものかは

     waga omou hito dani sumaba Michinoku no ebisu no sato utoki mono ka wa

     (please add an English translation of this example)

4. (by extension, derogatory) a foreigner

Derived terms

• 東(あずま)夷(えびす) (azuma-ebisu)

Proper noun

夷(えびす) • (Ebisu) 

1. a surname
2. alternative spelling of 恵比須 (Ebisu), a Shinto god

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
夷
い Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

/ji/ → /i/

From Middle Chinese 夷 (MC yij), originally referred to one of the ancient tribes east of China.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) い [íꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [i]

Noun

夷(い) • (i) 

1. those people with differing languages and/or cultures

   Synonym: 異民族 (iminzoku)

2. a barbarian, savage; uncivilized people (living to the east of ancient Imperial China; included Japan)

   Synonym: 野蛮人 (yabanjin)

3. a neutral (position)

   Synonym: 無色 (mushoku)

Derived terms

• 征(せい)夷(い) (seii)

Idioms

• 夷(い)を以(もっ)て夷(い)を制(せい)す (i o motte i o seisu)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 夷 (MC yij). Recorded as Middle Korean 이 (i) (Yale: i) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Wikisource

夷 (eumhun 오랑캐 이 (orangkae i))
夷 (eumhun 평평할 이 (pyeongpyeonghal i))

1. hanja form^? of 이 (“barbarian”)
2. hanja form^? of 이 (“flat; level; smooth”)

Compounds

Compounds

• 동이 (東夷, dong'i)
• 험이 (險夷, heomi)
• 이적 (夷狄, ijeok)
• 만이 (蠻夷, mani)
• 양이 (攘夷, yang'i)
• 소이 (燒夷, soi)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

Vietnamese

Han character

夷: Hán Nôm readings: dì, dai, di, gì, rợ

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.