以
Tap the pinyin to hear it
to use; by means of; according to; in order to; because of; at (a certain date or place)
Formation & memory
Break the character into parts you already know.
How 以 is formed
How to remember it
by means of · Heisig RSH #861
人 person + plow + a drop of
Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.
Words with 以
The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 有生以来 | (idiom) since birth; for one's whole life | |
| 无以为生 | no way to get by | |
| 以本人名 | under one's own name; named after oneself | |
| 不可以 | may not | |
| 可以意会，不可言传 | can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); mysterious… | |
| 以利亚 | Elijah (Old Testament prophet) | |
| 以马内利 | Emanuel; Immanuel (name) | |
| 以上 | that level or higher; that amount or more; the above-mentioned; (used to indicate that one… | |
| 以人为本 | people-oriented | |
| 以西 | to the west of (suffix) | |
| 不以为意 | not to mind; unconcerned | |
| 以身报国 | to give one's body for the nation (idiom); to spend one's whole life in the service of the… | |
| 无言以对 | to be left speechless; unable to respond | |
| 以下 | that level or lower; that amount or less; the following | |
| 自古以来 | since ancient times | |
| 半数以上 | more than half | |
| 不以为然 | not to accept as correct (idiom); to object; to disapprove; to take exception to | |
| 无以为报 | unable to return the favor | |
| 以人名命名 | to name sth after a person; named after; eponymous | |
| 以言代法 | to substitute one's words for the law (idiom); high-handedly putting one's orders above th… |
Sound family
These characters use 以 as their sound component — compare how they read.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 以 sound part | according to; so as to; because of; then | |
| 拟 | to draft, to plan; to intend | |
| 姒 | elder brother's wife; surname | |
| 苡 | barley |