How to Write 奕 (yì) — Meaning “grand; great; graceful”

Imagine a big (大) person standing with arms wide open, radiating energy — like the expression 神采奕奕, meaning full of spirit. The top 大 shows "big," and the bottom looks like someone shining bright, helping you recall its meaning of brilliance and vigor.

The top part 大 should be wide, with the horizontal stroke slightly longer than the left and right strokes. The bottom part 亦 is narrower; be careful not to make the two vertical strokes in 亦 too tall or uneven — they should sit balanced under the 大.

奕 (yì) means grand or spirited and is used in words like 神采奕奕, while 奂 (huàn) means magnificent or brilliant and appears in 美轮美奂 (describing splendid buildings). Visually, 奕 has 大 on top and 亦 below, whereas 奂 has a different structure with 大 on top and a more complex bottom part 夰.

奕 is most commonly found in the idiom 神采奕奕, describing someone glowing with health and energy. It also appears in formal terms like 博弈 (game theory) and literary phrases like 奕奕 (spirited, brilliant). While not an HSK character, it is appreciated in classical poetry and refined writing.

Common words containing 奕 include: 神采奕奕 (shén cǎi yì yì) — Glowing with health and vigor; full of spirit; 奕奕 (yì yì) — spirited; glowing; brilliant; 博弈 (bó yì) — game theory.