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How to Write 劓 (yì) — Meaning “cutting off the nose (ancient punishment)”

yì 16 strokes Radical: 刂

劓 (yì) means "cutting off the nose (ancient punishment)" in Chinese. It has 16 strokes with the radical 刂.

Rated 3.9/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Appears in 3+ common words including 劓刑 (yì xíng), 劓灭 (yì miè), 劓殄 (yì tiǎn).

Due to its 16 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 劓 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 劓 - yì

Practice Writing 劓 (yì)

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How to Write 劓

The character 劓 (yì) is written with 16 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 刂 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does yì (劓) Mean in Chinese?

劓 means cutting off the nose (ancient punishment).

Character Data

Character劓
Pinyinyì (yi)
Meaningcutting off the nose (ancient punishment)
Strokes16
Radical刂
Difficulty3.9/5

Origin of 劓

The character 劓 combines 鼻 (nose) and 刂 (knife), visually representing the act of cutting off the nose as a punishment in ancient China. The left component 鼻 depicts the nose, while the right radical 刂 indicates the cutting action.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a knife (刂) slicing off a nose (鼻) – a brutal image that sticks with the ancient penalty of nose-cutting.

Common Words with 劓

劓刑 yì xíng
punishment of cutting off the nose
劓灭 yì miè
to wipe out / to exterminate
劓殄 yì tiǎn
to exterminate / to cut off

Example Sentences

劓刑是古代的刑罚。

yì xíng shì gǔ dài de xíng fá

Cutting off the nose was an ancient punishment.

这种文化被劓灭了。

zhè zhǒng wén huà bèi yì miè le

This culture was wiped out.

这种行为会劓殄天物。

zhè zhǒng xíng wéi huì yì tiǎn tiān wù

This behavior is a reckless waste of natural resources.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
劓 (current) yì 16 刂
劁 qiāo 14 刂
劂 jué 14 刂
劄 zhā 14 刂
Stroke order practice for 劓 - yì

Practice Writing 劓 (yì)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 劓 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 劓

The left side 鼻 means "nose," and the right side 刂 is a knife radical. Together, they literally show a knife cutting the nose, which directly describes the ancient punishment of cutting off the nose.

Characters with Radical 刂

刈yì刊kān刎wěn刑xíng划huá/huà刖yuè列liè刘liú则zé刚gāng

Other 16-Stroke Characters

儒rú冀jì凝níng嘴zuǐ噤jìn器qì噩è噪zào噫yī噬shì