Chinese word

姨

Pronunciation

Pinyinyí

Meaning

  • nounaunt

Example

我今天去看望姨。wǒ jīn tiān qù kàn wàng yí

I am visiting my aunt today.

Illustration for 姨 (aunt)

More examples

我每个月给姨打电话，问她身体情况。wǒ měi gè yuè gěi yí dǎ diàn huà wèn tā shēn tǐ qíng kuàng

I call my aunt every month and ask how she is.

Core concept

A close family role on the mother's side, centered on the mother's sister.

Common phrases

  • 看望姨kàn wàng yí

    visit one's aunt

  • 给姨打电话gěi yí dǎ diàn huà

    call one's aunt

  • 照顾姨zhào gù yí

    take care of one's aunt

Similar words

阿姨ā yí: An affectionate or polite address for a maternal aunt or a similarly aged woman outside the family.
姨母yí mǔ: The formal written designation for a mother's sister.
舅舅jiù jiù: The brother of one's mother, or a maternal uncle.
姑姑gū gū: The sister of one's father, or a paternal aunt.

Definition in Chinese

表示母方的女性亲属，特指母亲的姐妹；在口语中单独用“姨”或加“阿”称呼以示亲昵或礼貌。biǎo shì mǔ fāng de nǚ xìng qīn shǔ tè zhǐ mǔ qīn de jiě mèi zài kóu yǔ zhōng dān dú yòng yí huò jiā ā chēng hū yǐ shì qīn nì huò lǐ mào

Word origin

姨 (yí, "maternal aunt") is a phonosemantic character: 女 (nǚ, "woman") points to its meaning and 夷 (yí, "phonetic element") indicates its sound.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, 阿姨 (āyí, "auntie") can also respectfully address an unrelated woman around the speaker's parents' generation, so the word does not always signal a literal family link.

Other meanings

  • maternal auntnoun

Related words

  • 姨妈yí māmaternal auntnoun
  • 姨母yí mǔmother's younger sisternoun

Word lists with this word