疫 meaning and stroke order
Epidemic, plague, pestilence
How to write 疫, stroke by stroke
9 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 疫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) epidemic; plague
How 疫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 疫
疫 sits under the sickness radical 疒, which looks like a sickbed with a roof. Inside is 殳, a hand holding a weapon, so picture a sickness that strikes everyone like a blow: an epidemic.
疫 (yì) is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 疫苗 (yìmiáo, vaccine), 免疫 (miǎnyì, immunity) and 疫情 (yìqíng, outbreak). These words are common in news and health contexts. Example: 我打了疫苗。(Wǒ dǎle yìmiáo.) I got vaccinated.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the inside as 殳 incorrectly or confuse 疫 with 役 (yì, service, as in 服役), which has the same sound and the same 殳 part but uses 彳 instead of 疒. Also, do not use 疫 alone to mean "epidemic"; say 疫情 or 瘟疫.
Common words with 疫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
疫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 疫
How many strokes are in 疫?
疫 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 疫 mean?
疫 (yì) means epidemic, plague, pestilence. A common word with it is 疫苗 (yìmiáo), meaning "vaccine".
How do you pronounce 疫?
疫 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 疫?
The radical of 疫 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 疫 under this radical.
Is 疫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 疫 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 疫情 and 瘟疫?
疫情 (yìqíng) refers to the epidemic situation or an outbreak, and is the normal word in modern news. 瘟疫 (wēnyì) means plague or pestilence and sounds more historical or dramatic.
How do I say "immune system" and "immunity" in Chinese?
The immune system is 免疫系统 (miǎnyì xìtǒng). For a person's level of immunity, use 免疫力 (miǎnyìlì), as in 提高免疫力 (tígāo miǎnyìlì), to boost immunity.