yí

贻

Character · VerbTraditional貽

give as gift; bequeath

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 5 examples
1.

verb

to give as a gift; to present

literary

Literary usage for presenting gifts or valuables to others; often used in formal or classical contexts.

Gǔ古
rén人
cháng常
yǐ以
shū书
huà画
yí贻
zèng赠
qīn亲
yǒu友
 。

Ancient people often gave calligraphy and paintings to relatives and friends as gifts.

Cǐ此
wù物
nǎi乃
xiān先
fù父
suǒ所
yí贻
 ，
bù不
gǎn敢
qīng轻
qì弃
 。

This object was given by my late father, so I dare not discard it lightly.

2.

verb

to leave behind; to bequeath (often trouble or negative consequences)

literary

Usually implies leaving problems, disasters, or negative consequences for future generations; frequently used in set phrases like 贻害无穷.

Ruò若
bù不
jí及
shí时
zhì治
lǐ理
 ，
bì必
jiāng将
yí贻
hài害
wú无
qióng穷
 。

If not dealt with in time, it will certainly cause endless harm.

Zhè这
yī一
jué决
cè策
shī失
wù误
 ，
yí贻
wù误
le了
zhàn战
jī机
 。

This decision-making mistake missed the opportunity for battle.

Show 1 more example
Cǐ此
nǎi乃
qián前
rén人
yí贻
liú留
zhī之
huàn患
 ，
fēi非
wú吾
bèi辈
zhī之
guò过
 。

This is a calamity left behind by predecessors, not the fault of our generation.