Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/意-yì-meaning,-intention

意 yì meaning, intention in Mandarin Chinese

Definition

Radical is 心 xīn “heart”. When at the bottom of a character, this radical is referred to colloquially as 心字底 xīnzìdĭ “bottom made up of the character 心.” The “sound” 音 yīn in one’s “heart” 心 is one’s “intention” 意. This character can serve as a phonetic in other characters, e.g., in the traditional form of 亿 (億) yì “hundred million”, and in the traditional form of 忆 (憶), which is used in 回忆 (回憶) huíyì “recall.”

Examples

• 主意 zhŭyì idea, plan [N]

Sources

Book: Intermediate Written Chinese by Cornelius C. Kubler

Other Lessons

• 思 sī think
• 吸 xī inhale, breathe in
• 部 bù part, section
• 立 lì stand; establish
• 体(體) tĭ body
• Tools
• 空 kōng empty; air, sky
• 身 shēn body; oneself
• 爱(愛) ài love, like
• 穿 chuān wear