绎 (yì) is a Chinese character meaning “to draw out (as silk from a cocoon)”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 圣 (sage; holy), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to unravel; to draw out”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 圣
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+7ECE 现代字形与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（8 画 = 纟 3 画 + 右旁 5 画）；繁体 繹 见 说文解字·糸部「繹，抽絲也。从糸睪聲」，简化后「糸」作「纟」、「睪」改写为记号，与「译、择、泽」右旁同形
Memory aid
A silk thread (纟) in the hands of a sage (圣): the sage keeps drawing the thread out, never letting it break — one small clue unravelled into a whole explanation.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 演绎yǎn yìto deduce; to work out step by step; to interpret (a work, a role)绎 = yì
- 络绎不绝luò yì bù juéin an endless stream — people or traffic coming and going without a break绎 = yì
Go deeper
All readings
to unravel; to draw out
to draw out (as silk from a cocoon); to unravel and explain; continuous, one after another
抽出丝头，引申为理出头绪、连续不断。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 演绎yǎn yìto deduce; to work out step by step; to interpret (a work, a role)绎 = yì
- 络绎不绝luò yì bù juéin an endless stream — people or traffic coming and going without a break绎 = yì
Origin
The traditional form 繹 is explained in the Shuowen Jiezi as "to draw silk out from a cocoon", written with 糸 (silk) for the meaning and 睪 for the sound. Pulling one long unbroken thread out is the image behind the modern senses: to unravel something, to continue without a break. In the simplified 绎, 糸 is written as the radical 纟, while the old sound part was replaced by a shorthand shape that here gives neither the sound nor the meaning.
Source: 说文解字·糸部：繹，抽絲也。从糸睪聲
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绎 mean?
绎 (yì) means to draw out (as silk from a cocoon); to unravel and explain; continuous, one after another.
How do you pronounce 绎?
It is pronounced yì.
What parts is 绎 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 圣 (sage; holy), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+7ECE 现代字形与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（8 画 = 纟 3 画 + 右旁 5 画）；繁体 繹 见 说文解字·糸部「繹，抽絲也。从糸睪聲」，简化后「糸」作「纟」、「睪」改写为记号，与「译、择、泽」右旁同形. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绎 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绎?
纟. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 绎?
Common ones are 演绎 and 络绎不绝. The reading of 绎 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.