引 (yǐn) - to lead & to guide

引Tone 3

yǐn ｜ 4 strokes ｜ radical: 弓

懿嘤

引 · yǐn

to lead;

to guide;

to pull;

to draw;

to attract;

to quote;

to cite

to leadto guideto pull

Usage highlights

AttractLeadQuoteIntroductionIndexCause

Synonyms

  • 导— to guide; to lead
  • 领— to lead; to guide
  • 拉— to pull; to draw

Antonyms

  • 推— to push
  • 阻— to obstruct; to hinder

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Lead the way (引路).
  • Attract attention (引人注目).
  • Quote a source (引用).
  • Draw a bow (引弓).

Collocations

  • Attract(吸引)
  • Lead(引导)
  • Quote(引用)
  • Introduction(引言)
  • Index(索引)
  • Cause(引起)

Idioms

  • Lead the way(引路)
  • Draw a metaphor(引喻)
  • Draw a jade to elicit bricks(抛砖引玉)
  • Lead the wolf into the house(引狼入室)
  • Draw a profound analogy(引喻失义)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted drawing a bow, representing the action of pulling or guiding.
  • Used in classical texts to mean 'to guide' or 'to lead', both literally and metaphorically.
  • In modern contexts, extends to meanings like 'attract', 'quote', and 'introduce'.

FAQ