How to Write 诒 (yí) — Meaning “To mislead; to leave behind”

Imagine a person standing on a platform (台) giving a speech (讠) that is full of lies. This visual of a speech that misleads the audience helps you link the components to the meaning of 'to mislead'.

Start with the speech radical (讠): write a dot first, then a short horizontal stroke turning down. Then write the right part 台: a left-falling stroke, a horizontal turning stroke, a dot, a vertical stroke, a horizontal turning stroke, and a final horizontal line. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide; keep it narrow and aligned vertically.

All three share the speech radical 讠, but their right parts differ: 诒 has 台 (meaning 'platform'), 讦 has 干 (meaning 'pole'), and 讧 has 工 (meaning 'work'). Their meanings also differ: 诒 means to mislead, 讦 means to expose faults, and 讧 means internal conflict. Visually, 诒 has more strokes on the right side.

诒 is not common in everyday speech; it appears mainly in formal or literary phrases like 诒误 (to mislead) and 诒害 (to bring trouble). It carries a serious, often negative tone, and is typically found in historical texts or news reports describing long-term harm. You will rarely hear it in casual conversation.

Common words containing 诒 include: 诒误 (yí wù) — To mislead; to cause an error; 诒笑 (yí xiào) — To become a laughingstock; 诒害 (yí hài) — To cause harm; to bring trouble.