How to Write 羿 (yì) — Meaning “Hou Yi (a legendary archer in Chinese mythology)”

Imagine two hands (the bottom part 廾) holding a feathered arrow (the top part 羽). This picture of an archer drawing a bow helps you remember that 羿 is the name of a famous archer, Hou Yi.

Pay attention to the bottom part: it is 廾, written with a horizontal line first, then two vertical lines (left then right). A common mistake is to write it like 公 (public), which is used in the similar character 翁. Also, keep the top 羽 wider than the bottom.

All three share the 羽 component, but their bottoms differ: 羿 has 廾 (two hands), 翁 has 公 (public), and 翅 has 支 (support). Meaning-wise, 羿 is a proper name for the archer, 翁 means 'old man', and 翅 means 'wing'.

Today 羿 is almost always used in the name 后羿 (Hòu Yì), referring to the legendary archer in Chinese mythology who shot down nine suns. This story is a classic cultural tale, so 羿 carries strong mythological and heroic associations.

Common words containing 羿 include: 后羿 (hòu yì) — Houyi (a legendary archer); 羿射 (yì shè) — Yi's archery; 羿氏 (yì shì) — The Yi clan.