How to Write 翳 (yì) — Meaning “screen; cover; film over the eye”

Imagine a feather (羽) falling over your eye, creating a blurry film that needs medical attention (医). The feather acts like a screen blocking your vision, which matches the character’s meaning of "film over the eye" or "cover."

The top radical 羽 is wide and has two symmetrical parts, each with a dot in the middle. The lower section is narrow and balanced; be careful not to make the 医 component too large. The stroke order follows 羽 first (with 6 strokes), then 医 (7 strokes), and finally 殳 (4 strokes) for a total of 17 strokes.

翳 (yì) means screen or eye film, while 翦 (jiǎn) means to cut or trim, and 翩 (piān) describes flying lightly or fluttering. Visually, 翳 has 羽 on top with 医 and 殳 below; 翦 has 羽 on top with 前 below (indicating cutting); 翩 has 羽 on top with 扁 below (suggesting flat or swift movement). Their meanings and lower components clearly differ.

翳 is not common in daily conversation but appears in literary or medical contexts. It is used in words like 阴翳 (shade, as in leafy shade) and 翳障 (cataract or vision obstruction). In classical literature, it can describe a screen or something that hides light, giving a poetic feel.

Common words containing 翳 include: 阴翳 (yīn yì) — shade; leafy shade; 遮翳 (zhē yì) — To shade; to screen.; 翳障 (yì zhàng) — cataract; obstruction of vision.