依

• Physical Posture: Leaning against or resting upon a physical object.
• Dependence and Reliance: Relying on, depending upon, or being supported by another person or entity.
• Accordance and Compliance: Acting in accordance with rules, precedents, or desires; consenting to a request or obeying a wish.

• Transitive Verb: "To rely on [X]" or "To depend upon [X]."
• Prepositional/Adverbial: "According to [X]," "Based upon [X]," or "In accordance with [X]," setting the conditions for the main action of the sentence.

• Contrast with 靠 (kào) and 憑 (píng): While 靠 often denotes a blunt physical act of leaning and 憑 frequently implies a prop or specific piece of evidence, 依 suggests a more structural or intimate state of reliance.
• Contrast with 順 (shùn) and 從 (cóng): 依 generally indicates an alignment of will or following of form rather than the forced submission implied by 順 or 從.

Composed of "person" (人) and "clothing" (衣), evoking the way a garment clings to the body.

The literal sense of "dressing" suggested by the graphic components is rarely the primary meaning in classical contexts, having been subsumed by the abstract concepts of reliance and accordance.