Definition
伊 is a literary/archaic pronoun equivalent to modern Chinese 他 (he) or 她 (she). It appears frequently in classical texts, poetry, and formal writing, but is rarely used alone in everyday spoken Chinese. In modern contexts, it is more commonly encountered as a surname. Some Chinese dialects, such as Southern Min (Hokkien), still use 伊 as the everyday third-person pronoun.
pr.
(literary, archaic) heshe
Examples
- 伊,。yī rén yǐ yuǎn xíng, bù zhī hé shí guī.That person has gone far away, I don't know when they will return.
- 伊,。yī rén yǐ yuǎn qù, zhǐ liú xià sīniàn.That person has gone far away, leaving only longing.
- 伊。Wǒ bù zhīdào yī rén shì shuí.I don't know who that person is.
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