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以 — to use; by means of; according to

to use; by means of; according to; in order to; because of; at

Pinyin
yǐ · Yǐ
Strokes
4
HSK level
HSK 1
Handwriting
required

This character has more than one reading — yǐ, Yǐ — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.

How to write 以: 4 strokes

Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.

以 — 4 strokes, in writing order from left to right.

Build a printable practice sheet with 以

Words with 以 in the HSK syllabus: 33

Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.

  1. 可以kěyǐcan; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty goodHSK 1
  2. 所以suǒyǐtherefore; as a result; so; the reason whyHSK 2
  3. 以后yǐhòuafter; later; afterwards; following; later onHSK 3
  4. 以前yǐqiánbefore; formerly; previous; agoHSK 3
  5. 以上yǐshàngthat level or higher; that amount or moreHSK 3
  6. 以外yǐwàiapart from; other than; except for; externalHSK 3
  7. 以为yǐwéito think; to believeHSK 3
  8. 以下yǐxiàthat level or lower; that amount or lessHSK 3
  9. 以内yǐnèiwithin; less thanHSK 4
  10. 难以nányǐhard toHSK 5
  11. 以yǐto use; by means of; according to; in order toHSK 5
  12. 以及yǐjíand; as well asHSK 5
  13. 以来yǐláisinceHSK 5
  14. 得以déyǐable to; so that sb can; enabling; in order toHSK 6
  15. 加以jiāyǐto apply; to carry out; to take action to; to apply; to giveHSK 6
  16. 以便yǐbiànso that; so as to; in order toHSK 6
  17. 以免yǐmiǎnin order to avoid; so as not toHSK 6
  18. 以往yǐwǎngin the past; formerlyHSK 6
  19. 之所以zhīsuǒyǐthe reason why N PHSK 6
  20. 足以zúyǐsufficient to...; so much so that; so thatHSK 6
  21. 不以为然bùyǐwéiránnot to accept as correct; to object; to disapproveHSK 7–9
  22. 长期以来chángqī yǐláifor a long timeHSK 7–9
  23. 持之以恒chízhī-yǐhéngto pursue unremittingly; to persevereHSK 7–9
  24. 梦寐以求mèngmèiyǐqiúto yearn for sth even in one's dreamsHSK 7–9
  25. 难以置信nányǐ-zhìxìnhard to believe; incredibleHSK 7–9
  26. 全力以赴quánlìyǐfùto make an all-out effortHSK 7–9
  27. 如愿以偿rúyuànyǐchángto have one's wish fulfilledHSK 7–9
  28. 夜以继日yèyǐjìrìnight and day; continuous strenuous effortHSK 7–9
  29. 以身作则yǐshēn-zuòzéto set an example; to serve as a modelHSK 7–9
  30. 以致yǐzhìwith the result thatHSK 7–9
  31. 以至于yǐzhìyúdown to; up to; to the extent that...HSK 7–9
  32. 予以yǔyǐto give; to impose; to applyHSK 7–9
  33. 自以为是zìyǐwéishìto believe oneself infallible; to be opinionatedHSK 7–9

Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.