约 yuē / yāo — weigh; appointment; agreement; to arrange; to restrict; approximately
我和朋友约好周末见面。Wǒ hé péng you yuē hǎo zhōu mò jiàn miàn.My friend and I arranged to meet at the weekend.
Common words: 大约 (dà yuē)、节约 (jié yuē)、约会 (yuē huì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to restrict"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to restrict", including 约 (yuē / yāo), 抑 (yì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to restrict" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 约 (yuē / yāo), 抑 (yì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yuē, yāo, yì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 约 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 约 yuē / yāoweigh; appointment; agreement; to arrange; to restrict; approximatelyUseful words: 大约, 节约
- 抑 yìto restrain; to restrict; to keep down; orUseful words: 抑制, 压抑
Common words for these 2 "to restrict" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 约 (yuē / yāo) — so "to restrict" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
大约dà yuēapproximately; probably节约jié yuēto economize; to conserve (resources); economy; frugal约会yuē huìappointment; engagement; date; to arrange to meet抑制yì zhìto inhibit; to keep down; to suppress压抑yā yìto constrain or repress emotions; oppressive; stifling; depressing抑郁yì yùdepressed; despondent; gloomy
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to restrict".
抑 yì — to restrain; to restrict; to keep down; or
他努力抑制住自己激动的心情。Tā nǔ lì yì zhì zhù zì jǐ jī dòng de xīn qíng.He tried hard to suppress his excitement.
Common words: 抑制 (yì zhì)、压抑 (yā yì)、抑郁 (yì yù)
All 2 characters
Open 约、抑 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.