绎 meaning and stroke order
To unravel; to interpret
How to write 绎, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 绎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- continuous
- to interpret
- to unravel
- to draw silk (old)
How 绎 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thread.
纟 gives the meaning.
Radical: 纟 (silk), shared by 143 characters on this site.
How to remember 绎
The silk radical 纟 on the left tells you this character is about thread. Picture pulling a silk thread out of a tangled cocoon bit by bit: you unravel it, and in the same way you draw out the meaning of an idea.
绎 (yì) almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You meet it in set words like 演绎 (yǎnyì, to unfold, to perform, to deduce) and the idiom 络绎不绝 (luòyì-bùjué, in an endless stream). Example: 游客络绎不绝。(Yóukè luòyì-bùjué.) Tourists keep coming in an endless stream.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 绎 with 译 (yì, to translate), since both are read yì and both deal with meaning. Remember that 绎 has the silk radical 纟 for unraveling thread, while 译 has the speech radical 讠 for turning words into another language.
Common words with 绎
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
绎 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 绎
How many strokes are in 绎?
绎 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 绎 mean?
绎 (yì) means to unravel; to interpret. A common word with it is 演绎 (yǎnyì), meaning "(of a story etc) to unfold; to play out; to develop (a technique etc)".
How do you pronounce 绎?
绎 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 绎?
The radical of 绎 is 纟, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 绎 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 绎?
The traditional form of 绎 is 繹. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 绎 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 绎 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 绎 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 演绎 mean in logic?
In logic and philosophy, 演绎 means deduction, as in 演绎法 (yǎnyìfǎ, the deductive method). It is the opposite of 归纳 (guīnà, induction). In everyday media it more often means to perform or interpret a role or a song.
Why does 络绎不绝 describe crowds of people?
Both 络 and 绎 have the silk radical and suggest threads that link up and keep going. The idiom pictures people or vehicles arriving one after another like a thread that never breaks, so it is used for steady streams of visitors, traffic, or customers.