衣 (yī) - Clothing & garment

衣Tone 1

yī ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 衣

一懿

衣 · yī

Clothing;

garment;

covering;

membrane;

coat (in biology).

Clothinggarmentcovering

Usage highlights

ClothingCoatUnderwearUniformGarment industryClothing store

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 食— food (antonym in the context of basic necessities)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I bought a new coat (大衣).
  • This is traditional Chinese clothing (汉服).
  • She works in the garment industry (服装行业).
  • The seed coat protects the embryo (种皮).

Collocations

  • Clothing(衣服)
  • Coat(大衣)
  • Underwear(内衣)
  • Uniform(制服)
  • Garment industry(服装业)
  • Clothing store(衣店)

Idioms

  • Food and clothing(衣食住行)
  • Brocade clothes and exquisite food(锦衣玉食)
  • Return home in fine silken robes(衣锦还乡)
  • To be poorly dressed and badly fed(衣衫褴褛)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the basic necessities of life in traditional Chinese culture, along with food, shelter, and transportation.
  • In ancient times, clothing was an important marker of social status and profession.
  • The character itself pictographically represents a garment with sleeves and a front opening.

FAQ