疑 (yí) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

疑

yí[yi2]Tone 2

to doubt, to suspect

HSK 4

Guru Deep Dive

English · to doubt, to suspect

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:14

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (匕/矢 component) and right side (疋 component) must be carefully balanced so the character does not tilt; keep horizontal strokes parallel and vertical strokes straight.

1. Meaning

to doubt, to suspect

hesitationquestionablesuspicion

VerbNeutralBound morpheme#cognition#mental state#psychology

Sample Usage

你怀疑他是对的吗？
Nǐ huáiyí tā shì duì de ma?
Do you suspect that he is right?
毫无疑问
háo wú yí wèn
without a doubt

2. Sound

/[i²³]/Tone: 35

疑

yíyi2

´(35)

=yí

Initial Consonant

Type: Palatal Glide (Zero Initial)

Sounds like: Zero initial (starts directly with the vowel/glide y)

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.

Tongue & Mouth Position: No initial consonant closure; tongue starts high and front for the y- glide.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -ee as in bee

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from mid to high (35), exactly like a surprised English question intonation ('What?').

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2 syllable, the tone shifts to a high rising tone or a more sustained pitch depending on speech speed.

👂

Listening trap: Learners often confuse Tone 2 (yí) with Tone 4 (yì 意), missing the upward pitch slope.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Start with a neutral expression and raise your hand and voice upward like asking a curious question ('Huh?').

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 14 strokes

4. Components

Radical 疋 · Bolt of Cloth Radical (Foot, leg, or cloth)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 疋 (Provides the conceptual base related to standing, stopping, or halting due to uncertainty.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 𠂹 (original sound: yi)

A person standing hesitantly (like a confused traveler pointing a weapon or holding a stick while looking back and forth) wondering which path to take.

𠂹 Top component indicating sound or shape clue
疋 Bottom/right component representing walking or standing legs

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

6· Phonetic Root: 疑 (yí)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted an old person with a cane or someone standing with uncertain steps, evolving over time to represent doubt and hesitation.

Semantic Evolution: From physically stopping or walking with hesitation to the abstract mental state of doubting or suspecting.

Ancient oracle and bronze forms frequently combined elements of an elderly person and hesitation.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

nghi

Corresponds to the modern Vietnamese ngang/hỏi tone family depending on historical classification.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ギ (gi) / Kun: うたが.う (utagau)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

의

Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian literary root 'gi' / 'g' / 'y'.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You stand on your feet (疋) with a big question mark shape (𠂹) overhead, utterly **doubting** whether you took the right path.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

凝

níngto congeal, to freezeAdds the ice radical (冫) on the left.

拟

nǐto plan, to draftAdds the hand radical (扌) on the left.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

凝(níng)

凝 has the ice radical (冫) for freezing/congealing, whereas 疑 uses 疋.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们不要盲目地[___]别人的好意。

Clue: huái yí

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the complex structure of 疑 with 凝 (níng) or incorrectly writing the bottom component.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 疑 mean when you see it in words like 怀疑 or 疑问?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to doubt' (yí) with 14 strokes?

疑yíto doubt, to suspect

Speed:

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