頤 (yí) - chin, cheek & to nourish, to maintain

頤Tone 2

yí ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

一懿

頤 · yí

chin, cheek;

to nourish, to maintain;

used in words related to care, cultivation, and nourishment.

chin, cheekto nourish, to maintainused in words related to care, cultivation, and

Usage highlights

Summer Palaceto nourish lifechin and cheekto gesture with the chinto nourish the spiritnourishing food

Synonyms

  • 下巴— chin (anatomical term)
  • 养— to nourish, to cultivate

Antonyms

  • 耗— to consume, to deplete
  • 损— to damage, to harm

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The elderly need good nourishment (颐养).
  • He stroked his chin thoughtfully (颐指).
  • This is a famous garden in Beijing (颐和园).
  • She follows dietary principles for health (颐神养性).

Collocations

  • Summer Palace(颐和园)
  • to nourish life(颐养)
  • chin and cheek(颐颊)
  • to gesture with the chin(颐指)
  • to nourish the spirit(颐神)
  • nourishing food(颐食)

Idioms

  • To gesture with the chin and direct with the eyes — to be insufferably arrogant(颐指气使)
  • Greatly pleased and content — beaming with satisfaction(大快朵颐)
  • Nourish nature and prolong life(颐性养寿)
  • To gaze at and admire(颐观)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character 颐 originally depicted the chin or jaw, later extended to meanings of nourishment and maintenance.
  • The Summer Palace (颐和园) in Beijing embodies the concept of 'harmonious nourishment' through its name.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy, 'nourishing' (颐养) is an important concept for health and longevity.

FAQ