ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

suitable; (便宜) cheap

8 strokes · 宀 (roof radical) + 且 — offerings properly laid out under a roof · HSK 2

Where 宜 comes from

Ancient 宜 showed meat neatly arranged on a sacrificial stand beneath a roof — everything in its proper place. Propriety became suitability: what fits is 宜.

宜 in Chinese culture

便宜 (piányi) 'cheap' is the word every market traveler learns first — 便宜一点吧! 'a little cheaper, come on!' Alone, 宜 keeps its dignity: 适宜 suitable, 宜人 pleasant, and the city 宜宾 or brand 宜家 (IKEA — 'suitable home', a perfect translation).

Example

便宜 piányi — cheap

这里的东西很便宜。
Zhèlǐ de dōngxi hěn piányi.
The things here are very cheap.

How to remember it

Everything properly placed under the roof 宀 — SUITABLE; a suitable price is CHEAP.

IKEA's Chinese name 宜家 quotes a 3,000-year-old line from the Book of Songs — 宜其室家, 'fitting for home and family'. The best brand localization ever shipped flat-packed.

Same sound, different tones

1st yī
clothes
2nd yí
suitable
3rd yǐ
chair
4th yì
easy

Words unlocked by 宜

便宜 piányi
cheap
便宜一点 piányi yìdiǎn
a bit cheaper
宜家 Yíjiā
IKEA

Related characters

LEARN 宜 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 371-character HSK library · iOS