宜

Denotes suitability, propriety, and fittingness; signals harmony between an object or action and its specific context.

1. Modal Auxiliary (Prescriptive): "should," "ought to," or "it would be best to." Generally a recommendation based on propriety or elegance rather than legal necessity or command.

2. Predicative Adjective (Descriptive): "is suitable," "is fitting," or "is appropriate."

3. Adverbial: Modifies an action to mean "appropriately" or "properly."

• 宜 vs. 當 (dāng): 當 typically implies duty, a requirement of one's role, or necessity; 宜 focuses on the appropriateness and propriety of the choice.
• 宜 vs. 適 (shì): 適 often refers to a precise, mechanical fit or coincidence; 宜 refers to qualitative suitability.
• 宜 vs. 合 (hé): 合 emphasizes the matching or union of two complementary things; 宜 emphasizes the relationship between a thing and its environment/context.

Semantic variant: U+5B90. In early texts, the sense of "suitable" may overlap with "comfortable" or "at ease," potentially reflecting domestic roots regarding things being in their right place.

Avoid translating every instance as a prescriptive "should." Distinguish between an observation of propriety ("It is fitting that...") and a directive for action ("He should..."). Determine if the text describes a state of harmony or prescribes a course of conduct.