夷 yí ancient barbarian tribes
to wipe out
How it came to be
会意 · Meaning + meaning
Two or more parts whose meanings together make the new meaning.
The oldest form shows an arrow with a cord wound around it; later forms have a person in place of the arrow.
用法
- Historically 'barbarian tribes' (华夷 Chinese vs foreign); in modern use survives mainly in set phrases.
- 化险为夷 (huàxiǎnwéiyí) = to turn danger into safety; 夷为平地 (yí wéi píngdì) = to raze to the ground.
- 匪夷所思 (fěiyísuǒsī) = beyond what ordinary reason can imagine.