裔 (yì) - descendant, offspring & border, edge

裔Tone 4

yì ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

一懿

裔 · yì

descendant, offspring;

border, edge;

used to refer to diaspora or heritage.

descendant, offspringborder, edgeused to refer to diaspora or heritage.

Usage highlights

descendantoverseas Chineseforeign descendantMiao ethnicityremote descendantsdiaspora community

Synonyms

  • 后— descendant, offspring
  • 嗣— heir, successor
  • 苗— sprout, seedling (metaphor for descendants)

Antonyms

  • 祖— ancestor, forefather
  • 先— predecessor, earlier generation

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He is a descendant of Confucius (孔子后裔).
  • Many overseas Chinese (海外华裔) maintain cultural traditions.
  • The garment's hem (衣裔) was beautifully embroidered.
  • She studies diaspora literature (裔文学).

Collocations

  • descendant(后裔)
  • overseas Chinese(华裔)
  • foreign descendant(外裔)
  • Miao ethnicity(苗裔)
  • remote descendants(远裔)
  • diaspora community(裔社)

Idioms

  • Descendants of Yan and Huang(炎黄子孙, sometimes 炎黄裔胄)
  • To leave descendants(垂裔后世)
  • Of noble descent(名门贵裔)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally meant the hem of clothing, extended to mean border/edge, then to descendants living at the 'edges' of the family line.
  • In modern usage, often appears in terms like 华裔 referring to ethnic Chinese living outside China.
  • Carries connotations of heritage, lineage, and cultural continuity across generations.

FAQ