How to Write 肄 (yì) — Meaning “to study; to practice”

Imagine you are holding a writing brush (聿) while you 'study' in a library, but you keep falling off your chair (think of '易' sounding like 'easy' but you still can't finish). The right side 㐌 can be remembered as a messy desk — you need to 'practice' to clean it up.

Write the radical 聿 first, with a straight vertical stroke down the middle. The right side 㐌 starts with a short left-falling stroke, then a horizontal hook, and finishes with a long horizontal stroke. Avoid making the right side too wide — it should sit neatly next to the radical.

肄 (yì) focuses on learning or practicing, while 肆 (sì) means 'four' in financial contexts or 'unrestrained'. 肇 (zhào) means 'to begin' or 'to cause'. Visually, 肄 has the radical 聿 on the left, 肆 uses 镸 on the left, and 肇 has 户 on top of 聿 — so check the top-left part carefully.

肄 most commonly appears in the word 肄业 (yì yè), meaning to leave school before graduating or to study at a school. It is a formal term often used in academic records. Another word is 肄习 (yì xí), meaning to practice, but it is rare in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 肄 include: 肄业 (yì yè) — to leave school before graduation; to study at school; 肄习 (yì xí) — to practice; to study; 肄业生 (yì yè shēng) — a student who has not yet graduated; a dropout.