*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Yi

From Mandarin 彝 (yí).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

Any of a family of Tibeto-Burman languages spoken by this people.

noun

An ethnic group who live primarily in mountainous areas of southwest China.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 彝 (yí).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Unspecified derivation mention彝cmn
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "彝",
        "tr": "yí"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 彝 (yí)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "彝",
      "彝#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of a family of Tibeto-Burman languages spoken by this people."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "09554e08925ecb6dc69e8853b619e1b43274a70caf17449e311283ad59e590dc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0b7d0ea1941d70d656a8503f712e2b5a07b5f9f8492590b39ea15e4ddfd84289",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 335104
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An ethnic group who live primarily in mountainous areas of southwest China."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "recordId": "d4ab731e5f5737d054a11f4743e8231722d0e57d4042db44d35281a9ee7679e5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b2cddb61b6b9e0a06d1a4b42d44a9661979dd8359ac92431e2c70c0046d98f5a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 335103
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Korean. Equivalent to Chinese 李 (Lǐ)

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Korean 이 (I) (based on the South Korean spelling), hanja: 李, also spelled 리 (Ri), especially in North Korea.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention^이ko
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ko",
        "3": "^이"
      },
      "expansion": "Korean 이 (I)"
    },
    {
      "name": "i",
      "args": {
        "1": "based on the South Korean spelling"
      },
      "expansion": "(based on the South Korean spelling)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "이",
      "이#Korean"
    ],
    [
      "hanja",
      "hanja"
    ],
    [
      "李",
      "李#Korean"
    ],
    [
      "리",
      "리#Korean"
    ],
    [
      "North Korea",
      "North Korea"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Korean. Equivalent to Chinese 李 (Lǐ)"
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "054c672f2bed5bb920a88b3cc9eabecae3f9f99fddd7df03fc2ffc5984e0df11",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1d631996f70535bbfdfb5f5c2ce8eb0309eb6e47baa6eb38f13884ba6f18a752",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 335105
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Mandarin 易 (yì).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention易cmn
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "易",
        "tr": "yì"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 易 (yì)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "易",
      "易#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "658f9f9ba26d13f4ffbf74a8361aa9e312b455883d52fdd9d12ac342d77d3a21",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5f1b62b7d0414921625c9e1c6416783b4ce0972a1d4046370facd43e02385260",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 335106
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Yi →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-WWk