以 yǐ in a sentence
Use (by - for - within - because - in order to)
以 (yǐ) means Use (by - for - within - because - in order to). Below are 24 of the 112 sentences on this site that use it — with pinyin, an English translation and audio. All of them were written by hand; none is machine generated.
Dictionary examples
我们 以 这个句子为例。
Wǒmen yǐ zhège jùzi wéi lì.
Let us take this sentence as an example.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 以
请 以 最快的速度完成。
Qǐng yǐ zuì kuài de sùdù wánchéng.
Please finish it as quickly as possible.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 以
运动 以 后容易渴。
Yùndòng yǐhòu róngyì kě.
You get thirsty easily after exercise.
Dictionary example · HSK 3 · 渴
上课 以 前要预习。
Shàng kè yǐqián yào yùxí.
You should prepare before class.
Dictionary example · HSK 4 · 预习
From the graded readers
买完 以 后，我去付钱。
mǎi wán yǐhòu, wǒ qù fù qián.
After I'd got everything I went to pay.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · At the Supermarket
起床 以 后，我喝一杯水。
qǐchuáng yǐhòu, wǒ hē / hè yī bēi shuǐ.
After getting up, I drink a glass of water.
Graded reader · HSK 1 · My Day
跑完 以 后，我觉得很舒服。
pǎowán yǐhòu, wǒ juéde hěn shūfu.
Afterwards I felt great.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · My Weekend
三天 以 后，快递就送到了。
sāntiān yǐhòu, kuài dì jiù sòngdào le / liǎo / liào.
Three days later the delivery arrived.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Shopping Online
我 以 为自己可 以 坚持下去。
wǒ yǐwéi zìjǐ kěyǐ jiānchí xiàqu.
I thought I could keep it up.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Facing Pressure
我 以 为这样大家会喜欢我。
wǒ yǐwéi zhèyàng dàjiā huì xǐhuan wǒ.
I thought people would like me for it.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Learning to Say No
回家 以 后，我算了一笔账。
huíjiā yǐhòu, wǒ suàn le / liǎo / liào yī bǐ zhàng.
When I got home, I did a calculation.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · A Decision at Thirty
From the travel phrasebook
From the grammar library
便宜一点儿，可 以 吗？
Piányi yìdiǎnr, kěyǐ ma?
A bit cheaper, could you?
Grammar library · HSK 3 · 一点儿 vs 有点儿
以 appears in 112 sentences on this site; the 24 shortest and most direct are shown. The rest are on the pages they were written for — the graded readers, the phrasebook and the grammar library.
Words that contain 以
Each of these has sentences of its own, so you can see the character doing a different job in each one.
Questions about 以
How is 以 used in a sentence?
This page shows 112 sentences using 以 (yǐ, "Use (by - for - within - because - in order to)"), each with pinyin, an English translation and audio. Every one of them was written by hand for this site.
Are these sentences machine generated?
No. They come from the site's own dictionary examples, graded readers, travel phrasebook and grammar library — all written by a person. A word with no sentence gets no page here, rather than a page of invented ones.
Why do some sentences show 以 inside a longer word?
Because that is where a single character usually lives. Seeing 以 inside the words it builds is how the character stops being an isolated symbol and starts being something you can read.
Is 以 an HSK word?
Yes — 以 is on the official HSK 4 vocabulary list, and you can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 4 page.
Where can I see the full entry for 以?
The dictionary page for 以 has its stroke order, its traditional form, every sense the dictionary lists and a character-by-character breakdown. It is linked at the top of this page.
Keep going
Read the full entry for 以, write a sentence of your own and check it in the Pinyin Annotator, drill it with HSK 4 flashcards, or search the whole sentence bank for another word.
Another word
Chinese, pinyin or English. Tone marks optional.