What does 以 mean in Chinese?

以 (yǐ) means "to use; by means of; according to; in order to; because of; at (a certain date or place)" in Chinese. It is an HSK Level 4 word.

How do you pronounce 以?

以 is pronounced "yǐ" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 3.

What words contain the character 以?

Common words with 以 include 不以为然 (not to accept as correct (idiom); to object), 乘以 ((math.) multiplied with), 予以 (to give), 不可以 (may not), 之所以 (the reason why).

How do you write 以?

以 has 4 strokes. Its radical is 人. You can view the stroke order animation on our stroke order tool.

以 (yǐ), to use

以

yǐ

to use; by means of; according to; in order to

HSK 4verb4 strokes

Character Breakdown

A person leaning on something — by means of

Radical: 人 (no. 9)Strokes: 4

View stroke order →

Definitions

(verb) to use
by means of
according to
in order to
because of
at (a certain date or place)

Example Sentences

我可以进来吗？

Wǒ kěyǐ jìnlái ma

May I come in?

Words Containing 以

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
不以为然	bù yǐ wéi rán	not to accept as correct (idiom); to object	HSK 6
乘以	chéng yǐ	(math.) multiplied with
予以	yǔ yǐ	to give
不可以	bù kě yǐ	may not
之所以	zhī suǒ yǐ	the reason why
代之以	dài zhī yǐ	(has been) replaced with
一直以来	yī zhí yǐ lái	in the past always
不以为意	bù yǐ wéi yì	not to mind
不知所以	bù zhī suǒ yǐ	to not know the reason
予以照顾	yǔ yǐ zhào gù	to ask somebody to carefully consider a request (idiom)