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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'to recall' with 忆 (yì)

    Actions & Events
    Topic & Focus

    Structure

    忆 + Object

    Explanation

    忆 (yì) means "to recall" or "to remember" and is a literary or classical Chinese term. It appears frequently in poetry and formal writing rather than everyday conversation. For example, the famous poem title 忆江南 means "Recalling Jiangnan."

    Examples

    • 每次听到这首歌，我就忆起了大学时光。

      Měicì tīngdào zhè shǒu gē, wǒ jiù yì qǐ le dàxué shíguāng.

      Every time I hear this song, I recall my college days.

    • 忆江南是白居易最有名的词之一。

      Yì Jiāngnán shì Bái Jūyì zuì yǒumíng de cí zhī yī.

      "Recalling the South of the Yangtze" is one of Bai Juyi's most famous poems.

    • 往事不堪回忆，却总是忍不住去忆。

      Wǎngshì bùkān huíyì, què zǒngshì rěnbuzhù qù yì.

      The past is too painful to recall, yet one can't help but reminisce.

    Expressing 'to recall' with 忆 (yì) | Chinese Grammar