倚 yǐ to rely on
to rely on; to depend on; to lean on
怎么记住“倚”: 亻 person + 奇 strange = to rely on. After knee surgery the old person has only his strange purple cane, the one thing left to rely on.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
倚 = 亻 person + 奇 strange
- 亻 person meaning
- 奇 strange sound
- 大 big
- 可 may
- 丁 male adult
- 口 mouth
After knee surgery the old person has only his strange purple cane, the one thing left to rely on.
How it came to be
The person gives the meaning and the sign for strange gives the sound.
用法
- To lean on physically or to rely/bank on: 倚着墙 (yǐzhe qiáng) to lean against a wall, 倚靠 (yǐkào) to lean on/depend on.
- The 'rely' sense often carries an edge of leaning on power unfairly: 倚仗 (yǐzhàng) to rely on backing, 倚老卖老 to trade on one's seniority.
- More literary than 靠 (kào), which covers the same ground in everyday speech.