How to Write 悒 (yì) — Meaning “depressed”

Imagine your heart (忄) feels trapped inside a walled city (邑), making you feel depressed because you cannot leave. This image of being stuck in a place you dislike can help you recall that 悒 means depressed.

Write the heart radical (忄) first as two vertical dots and a vertical stroke. Then write the right side 邑: pay attention to the top part (口) and the bottom (巴) — the final stroke is a vertical hook, not a straight line. A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep it compact.

All three share the heart radical, but differ in the right side and meaning. 悒 (yì) means depressed, 怊 (chāo) means sad or worried, and 怍 (zuò) means ashamed or embarrassed. Visually, 悒 has 邑 on the right, while 怊 has 召 and 怍 has 乍.

悒 is a literary word rarely used in daily conversation; you will mainly find it in classical poetry or formal writing to describe deep sadness. The common two-character words like 忧悒 (yōu yì) mean melancholy, and 悒悒 (yì yì) describes a dejected mood.

Common words containing 悒 include: 悒悒 (yì yì) — dejected; 忧悒 (yōu yì) — Melancholy; dejected; 悒闷 (yì mèn) — gloomy.