翼 meaning and stroke order
Wings, fins; shelter
How to write 翼, stroke by stroke
17 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
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
Meaning of 翼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wing
- area surrounding the bullseye of a target
- to assist
- one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy
- old variant of 翌
How 翼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wings.
羽 gives the meaning and 異 hints at the sound.
Radical: 羽 (feather), shared by 26 characters on this site.
How to remember 翼
翼 is pictophonetic. The top part 羽 (yǔ, feather) gives the meaning of wings, and the bottom part 異 (yì) gives the sound, so picture feathers spread out over a body: wings.
翼 is mostly used in compound words rather than alone, such as 机翼 (jīyì, airplane wing) and political terms like 左翼 (zuǒyì) and 右翼 (yòuyì). The idiom 小心翼翼 is very common in everyday speech. Example: 他小心翼翼地拿着杯子。(Tā xiǎoxīn-yìyì de názhe bēizi.) He held the cup very carefully.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 共 or 田 alone and forget the full 異 shape under 羽. Also, 翼 is not the everyday word for a bird's wing in speech; people usually say 翅膀 (chìbǎng).
Common words with 翼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 小心翼翼 | xiǎoxīn-yìyì | (idiom) cautious; careful; prudent | HSK 7-9 |
| 不翼而飞 | bùyì'érfēi | to disappear without trace; to vanish all of a sudden | HSK 7-9 |
| 右翼 | yòuyì | the right flank; (politically) right-wing | |
| 左翼 | zuǒyì | left-wing (political) | |
| 机翼 | jīyì | wing (of an aircraft) | |
| 襟翼 | jīnyì | (aircraft) wing flap | |
| 羽翼 | yǔyì | wing; (fig.) assistant |
翼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 翼
How many strokes are in 翼?
翼 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 翼 mean?
翼 (yì) means wings, fins; shelter. A common word with it is 小心翼翼 (xiǎoxīn-yìyì), meaning "(idiom) cautious; careful; prudent".
How do you pronounce 翼?
翼 is pronounced yì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 翼?
The radical of 翼 is 羽, which carries the idea of "feather". Dictionaries list 翼 under this radical.
Is 翼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 翼 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 不翼而飞 literally mean?
It literally means "to fly without wings." It describes something that disappears suddenly with no explanation, like a wallet that vanishes from your bag.
Can 翼 mean to help someone?
Yes, one sense is "to assist," which comes from the image of wings protecting or supporting. You see this in 羽翼 (yǔyì), which can mean an assistant or supporters around a powerful person.