How to Write 邺 (yè) — Meaning “Ye (ancient place name)”

Imagine the left side 阝 looks like a hill, and the right side 业 resembles a tall building with a flat roof. Picture an ancient city called Ye sitting on a hill with a prominent building, which helps you recall its meaning and pronunciation.

Start with the left radical 阝: first a horizontal bend, then a vertical stroke. Then write the right part 业: horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide, so practice keeping it compact.

All three characters share the city radical 阝, but the right parts are different. 邺 uses 业 (yè) while 邗 uses 干 (gān) and 邘 uses 于 (yú). They are separate ancient place names or surnames with distinct pronunciations, so the right side determines which word it is.

邺 is rarely used in daily conversation today; it appears mostly in historical texts to refer to the ancient city Yecheng (邺城) in modern Hebei province. It can also be a very uncommon surname. Knowing this character helps when reading about ancient Chinese history or literature.

Common words containing 邺 include: 邺城 (yè chéng) — Yecheng (ancient city); 邺都 (yè dōu) — Ye Capital; 姓邺 (xìng yè) — Surname Ye.