How to Write 揖 (yī) — Meaning “to bow with hands clasped”

Imagine you are greeting a friend by clasping your hands and bowing, while saying "yī" like a cheerful "yeah!" to remember the sound. Visually, the left part 扌 looks like a hand, and the right part 咠 can be seen as two hands meeting — picture your hands coming together in a respectful bow.

Write the left radical 扌 first (horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then the right side: first the mouth 口, then the ear 耳. A common mistake is making the 耳 too wide — keep it balanced with the left side. Be careful to write the short horizontal stroke inside 耳 clearly, as missing it changes the character.

While all three share the hand radical 扌, 揖 has 咠 on the right, meaning a clasped-hands bow; 挨 has 矣 on the right, meaning to lean on or to follow; and 挫 has 坐 on the right, meaning to defeat or twist. Visually, the right-side components are distinct: 揖's 咠 includes 口 and 耳, 挨's 矣 includes a combination of 矢 and other strokes, and 挫's 坐 looks like two people on the ground.

In modern Chinese, 揖 appears mainly in formal or traditional contexts, such as the word 作揖 (zuò yī), which describes a traditional greeting where one clasps hands and bows. It is not used in everyday conversation but is common in historical dramas, etiquette descriptions, and during cultural festivals like Chinese New Year as a respectful gesture.

Common words containing 揖 include: 作揖 (zuò yī) — to bow with hands clasped; 揖礼 (yī lǐ) — traditional hand-clasping bow; 拜揖 (bài yī) — To bow with hands clasped.