What does 以 mean in Chinese?

以 (yǐ) means "with, by" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 以?

以 is written with 4 strokes, starting from the 人 (person) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 以?

The radical of 以 is 人 (person, Kangxi radical #9). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 人, 会, 个, 今.

How many strokes does 以 have?

The Chinese character 以 has 4 strokes.

What HSK level is 以?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 以 is a character to recognise at HSK 1 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

以 (yǐ): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

以

yǐ

with, by

HSK 1 character 4 strokes Radical: 人 (person)

Quick Answer

以 (yǐ) means "with, by" with 4 strokes, radical 人 (person), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 以 →Animated stroke-order for 以 →

Pronunciation

yǐ

Meaning

Primary: with

Other meanings:

Etymology

A person leaning on something — by means of

Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.

Basic info

Pinyin	yǐ
Meanings	with, by
Stroke count	4 strokes
Radical	人 (#9: person)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#158 most common

Example sentences

我可以进来吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ jìnlái ma?
May I come in?
From 以 (HSK 5)
可以进来。
Kěyǐ jìnlái.
You can come in.
From 可以 (HSK 1)
他不舒服，所以没来上班。
Tā bù shūfu, suǒyǐ méi lái shàngbān.
He's not feeling well, so he didn't come to work.
From 所以 (HSK 2)

Words containing 以

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
以	yǐ	with, by	HSK 5
可以	kěyǐ	can	HSK 1
所以	suǒyǐ	so, therefore	HSK 2
以为	yǐwéi	to (mistakenly) think (that)	HSK 3
以前	yǐqián	before	HSK 3
以后	yǐhòu	after, later on, in the future	HSK 3
以来	yǐlái	Since	HSK 5
以及	yǐjí	as well as	HSK 5
不以为然	bùyǐwéirán	object to, take exception to	HSK 7-9

Related characters

Don't confuse with

似

以 (yǐ) ≠ 似

已

以 (yǐ) ≠ 已 (yǐ), already

Share the 人 (person) radical

人rén 会huì 个gè 今jīn

See all characters with the 人 radical →

Similar meaning (abstract)

不not 大big 公public 分to divide 对correct 定to decide 方direction 得to get

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 以 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 1 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Appears in these articles

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

以

yǐ