A meat offering arranged correctly on an altar under a roof.
Suitable, fitting, appropriate; should or ought to. Roof (宀) over an altar/stand (且): place the offering just right.
宜
Common Usage & Traps
- 便宜 — cheap, inexpensive
- 适宜 — suitable, appropriate
- 不宜 — not suitable, inadvisable
- 宜人 — pleasant, delightful (of weather, scenery)
-
宜的便宜的宜 alone does not mean 'cheap' in modern Mandarin; the common word for cheap is 便宜.
-
很宜很适宜 / 很合适宜 is not used as a standalone adjective with 很; it appears in fixed compounds like 适宜 or 不宜.
Why does 宜 appear in 便宜 but not mean 'cheap' on its own?
宜 means 'suitable' as a partner-only character; 便宜 combines 便 (convenient) and 宜 (suitable) to mean 'cheap'.
In modern Mandarin, 宜 cannot stand alone as a complete word meaning 'suitable' or 'appropriate'. It cannot stand alone as an adjective. The word 便宜 (cheap) is a compound where the original sense of 'convenient and suitable' evolved into 'inexpensive'. So when you see 宜 in 便宜, it is not contributing the meaning 'cheap' by itself.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 宜 alone | suitable, appropriate (bound) | cheap |
| Common word for cheap | 便宜 | 宜 |
| Example with 宜 | 这个价格很适宜。 | 这个价格很宜。 |
How do I distinguish 宜 from 谊?
宜 has a roof radical (宀) meaning 'suitable'; 谊 has a speech radical (讠) meaning 'friendship'.
Both characters are pronounced yí (or yì for 谊 in some contexts), but they have different radicals and meanings. 宜 (宀 + 且) relates to suitability or appropriateness, as in 适宜. 谊 (讠 + 宜) relates to friendship or camaraderie, as in 友谊. Pay attention to the radical to tell them apart.
| Dimension | 宜 | 谊 |
|---|---|---|
| Radical | 宀 (roof) | 讠 (speech) |
| Meaning | suitable, appropriate | friendship |
| Example | 适宜 (suitable) | 友谊 (friendship) |
Appears in Stories 5 stories
This short, simple story follows a shopper's trip to the supermarket to buy apples. You'll learn useful vocabulary for shopping, prices, and comparing things.
-
大苹果很 便宜 ，小苹果很贵。
This is a short dialogue about a shopping trip. A woman buys many things, including food, drinks, furniture, and pet food, while her boyfriend reminds her not to overspend.
-
那些桌子、椅子什么的，这个星期都 便宜了 ，都不贵。”
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
-
看病非常贵，吃饭不 便宜 。
Why would a millionaire leave a table of lobster and wagyu untouched? This story explores the hidden rules of business dining and the true cost of staying alert.
-
结果第二天对方笑着砍了他五个点的价，一边还看着他眼睛说，看你昨天吃东西的样子就知道你这人没坏心眼，肯定没跟我们要高价，就 便宜 百分之五吧。
Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.
-
坐火车比坐飞机 便宜 得多，去飞机场也要花很多时间，所以，小商觉得坐火车比坐飞机好。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
No questions or discussions yet. Have a question about this character/word? Be the first to ask!