Skip to main content

以: to use

By September 24, 2013October 6th, 2015Chinese Word, Japanese Word, Language-Learning

 

以 yǐ

preposition | conjunction
: using; taking; because of

Kun Reading

故に|ゆえに yueni

conjunction
: therefore

以って | もって motte

conjunction; expression
: with; by; by means of

On Reading

い i

 Usage:
 

以前 yi3qian2: before; previous [以前に|いぜんに izenni]
以後[后] yi3hou4: after; later on [いご igo]
以外 yi3wai4: apart from; except for [いがい igai]
以爲[为] yi3wei2: to believe/think
以及 yi3ji2: as well as, too
以來[来] yi3lai2: since; henceforth [いらい irai]
以上 yi3shang4: more than; over, the above-mentioned [いじょう ijou]
以下 yi3xia4: below; the following; not exceeding [いか ika OR いげ ige]
可以 ke3yi3: can; able to [出来る|できる dekiru: 2b up to the task; can]
所以 sou3yi3: therefore [ゆえん yuen: reason; grounds]
難[难] 以nan2yi3: hard to (predict)
足以 zu2yi3: sufficient; so much so that



Japanese expression
以外になさそう | いがいになさそう igaini nasasou:
the only way (is to…) (lit. outside this, it is improbable)

それ以上 | それいじょう soreijou: further; above; anymore



Chinese idiom
努力以赴 nu3 li4 yi3 fu4:
to use one’s best efforts to do something / to try hard / to put the best foot forward

憂苦以終[忧苦以终] you1 ku3 yi3 zhong1:
worried to death

拭目以待 shi4 mu4 yi3 dai4:
lit. to wipe one’s eyes and wait (idiom); to wait and see OR eagerly awaiting

以直報怨,以德報德
yi3 zhi2 bao4 yuan4 , yi3 de2 bao4 de2:
to repay kindness with kindness, and repay enmity with justice

Chinese saying
授人以魚不如授人以漁
[授人以鱼不如授人以渔] shou4 ren2 yi3 yu2 bu4 ru2 shou4 ren2 yi3 yu2:
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Knowledge is the best charity

百行以孝爲先
bai2 hang2 yi3 xiao4 wei4 xian1
filial piety always comes first

 Etymology:
 
会意 Associative Compound.
A fetus [inverted 已] (yi3: already; finished; stop) next to
a person [人] (ren2: man)
 
Semantic/Historical Variant.
㠯 yi3: according to; to use; with; for
OR 㕥 yi3 / shen1

 Examples:
 
何以見得。
(he2 yi3 jian4 de2)
How can one be sure? OR Why do you think so?
 
據實以告
(ju4 shi2 yi3 gao4)
to report according to the facts; to tell the truth; to tell it like it is

 

Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary