How to Write 贻 (yí) — Meaning “Give; leave behind; cause”

Imagine you have a valuable "shell" (贝) sitting on a "platform" (台) as a gift for someone. The picture of a shell on a platform helps you recall that 贻 means "give" or "leave behind." Just be careful not to confuse the platform with a different shape, as 台 looks like a small table.

The left radical 贝 (shell) is narrower and takes about one-third of the character width, while the right part 台 is wider. Write the left side first: vertical stroke, horizontal fold, then left-falling stroke and dot. For the right side 台, start with the top left-falling stroke, then the horizontal fold hook, then the small mouth at the bottom—make sure the mouth is centered and not too big.

贻 (yí) has the radical 贝 on the left and 台 on the right, meaning "give" or "cause"; 贡 (gòng) has 工 (work) instead of 台 and means "tribute" or "to offer;" 财 (cái) has 才 (talent) on the right and means "wealth" or "money." Visually, the different right-side components (台 vs. 工 vs. 才) are the main clue to distinguish them.

贻 is not a common daily character but appears in formal or literary expressions, often in negative contexts like 贻误 (to mislead or delay) and 贻笑 (to become a laughing stock). A cultural note: the phrase 贻笑大方 means "to make a fool of oneself before experts" and is used when someone shows ignorance in front of knowledgeable people.

Common words containing 贻 include: 贻误 (yí wù) — Mislead; delay; botch; 贻笑 (yí xiào) — Become a laughing stock; 贻害 (yí hài) — Bring harm; leave a legacy of trouble.