ENESFRDE中文

Characters, words, pinyin or English

唉 āi alas

How to remember 唉: 口 mouth + 矣 arrow gone = alas. At the fair Dad opens his mouth as his last dart flies off, an arrow gone for good over the fence, and sighs "alas."

  • HSK 5
  • 10 strokes
  • Radical 口

Component breakdown

唉 = 口 mouth + 矣 arrow gone

  • 口 mouth
  • 矣 arrow gone
The Gushi story

At the fair Dad opens his mouth as his last dart flies off, an arrow gone for good over the fence, and sighs "alas."

How it is used

  • Sighing interjection placed at the start of a clause: 唉,别提了 (āi, bié tí le) - "ugh, don't even mention it".
  • Conveys resignation, regret, or weary frustration, often followed by an explanation of what went wrong.
  • Contrast with 哎, which expresses surprise or calls attention rather than sighing.
  • Common in spoken narration and dialogue, rare in formal writing except quoted speech.