毅 meaning and stroke order
Decisive, firm, resolute
How to write 毅, stroke by stroke
15 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 毅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- firm and resolute
- staunch
How 毅 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tool.
殳 gives the meaning and 豙 hints at the sound.
Radical: 殳 (tool), shared by 16 characters on this site.
How to remember 毅
毅 is a pictophonetic character: 豙 on the left gives the sound, and 殳 (shū) on the right, a hand holding a tool or weapon, gives the meaning. Picture a hand gripping a tool firmly and refusing to let go, and you have the idea of being firm and resolute.
毅 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in words like 毅力 (yìlì, willpower), 刚毅 (gāngyì, steadfast) and 毅然 (yìrán, resolutely). Example: 他很有毅力。(Tā hěn yǒu yìlì.) He has a lot of willpower.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 毅 with 毅's look-alike 殺/杀-type characters or write the left side as 豕 without the extra top strokes; the left part is 豙, which has a 立-like top over 豕. Also remember the tone is fourth (yì), not second like 移 (yí).
Common words with 毅
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
毅 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 毅
How many strokes are in 毅?
毅 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 毅 mean?
毅 (yì) means decisive, firm, resolute. A common word with it is 毅力 (yìlì), meaning "perseverance; willpower".
How do you pronounce 毅?
毅 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 毅?
The radical of 毅 is 殳, which carries the idea of "tool". Dictionaries list 毅 under this radical.
Is 毅 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 毅 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 毅力 and 耐心?
毅力 (yìlì) is willpower or perseverance to keep going toward a goal despite difficulty. 耐心 (nàixīn) is patience, the ability to wait or tolerate something calmly.
How is 毅然 used in a sentence?
毅然 (yìrán) is an adverb placed before a verb to show a firm, decisive choice, often a hard one. For example, 她毅然离开了家乡 (tā yìrán líkāi le jiāxiāng) means she resolutely left her hometown. It is common in writing and formal speech.