遗 meaning and stroke order
To lose; a lost article
How to write 遗, stroke by stroke
12 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 遗
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to leave behind
How 遗 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To leave 辶 something valuable 贵 behind.
Radical: 辶 (to walk), shared by 131 characters on this site.
How to remember 遗
The walking radical 辶 carries 贵 (guì, valuable) away, but the valuable thing gets left behind on the road. Picture someone walking off and forgetting something precious: that is 遗 (yí), to leave behind or lose.
遗 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 遗憾 (yíhàn, regret), 遗产 (yíchǎn, heritage), and 遗忘 (yíwàng, to forget). Many of its words relate to what remains after someone dies or after time passes. Example: 真遗憾，你不能来。(Zhēn yíhàn, nǐ bù néng lái.) What a pity you can't come.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 遗 with 贵 (guì, expensive) and read it as guì, but with 辶 added it is yí in the second tone. Also do not use 遗 alone to mean "lose" in speech; say 丢 (diū) instead, as in 我丢了钥匙 (wǒ diū le yàoshi).
Common words with 遗
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 遗产 | yíchǎn | heritage; legacy | HSK 4 |
| 遗传 | yíchuán | heredity; to inherit (a trait) | HSK 4 |
| 遗憾 | yíhàn | regret; to regret | HSK 6 |
| 遗嘱 | yízhǔ | testament; will | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗忘 | yíwàng | to forget; to cease to think about (sb or sth) anymore | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗体 | yítǐ | remains (of a dead person) | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗弃 | yíqì | to leave; to abandon | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗物 | yíwù | personal effects (of the deceased); artifacts; relics; (biological) remains | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗愿 | yíyuàn | final wishes of the departed | HSK 7-9 |
| 后遗症 | hòuyízhèng | (medicine) sequelae; residual effects | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗址 | yízhǐ | ruins; historic relics | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗留 | yíliú | to leave behind; to hand down | HSK 7-9 |
| 遗言 | yíyán | words of the deceased; last words of the dying | |
| 遗失 | yíshī | to lose; to leave behind (inadvertently) |
遗 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 遗
How many strokes are in 遗?
遗 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 遗 mean?
遗 (yí) means to lose; a lost article. A common word with it is 遗产 (yíchǎn), meaning "heritage; legacy".
How do you pronounce 遗?
遗 is pronounced yí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 遗?
The radical of 遗 is 辶, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 遗 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 遗?
The traditional form of 遗 is 遺. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 遗 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 遗 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 遗 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 遗憾 and 后悔?
遗憾 (yíhàn) expresses that something is a pity or unfortunate, often outside your control. 后悔 (hòuhuǐ) means you regret your own action and wish you had done differently.
How do you say world heritage site in Chinese?
It is 世界遗产 (shìjiè yíchǎn). You will often see 世界文化遗产 (shìjiè wénhuà yíchǎn) for world cultural heritage sites like the Great Wall.