Instrumental 以 (with / by means of)

Structure 以 + instrument/means （+来） + verb

以 (yǐ) introduces the INSTRUMENT or MEANS by which something is done: "with, by means of, through". 以事实说明问题 = "to explain the problem with facts". When the link to the purpose verb is made more explicit, 来 is added: 以行动来证明 = "to prove it through action". This 以 is highly productive in cultured language and is the core of many written compounds (以…为主, 以此, 以便). Unlike colloquial 用 ("use X to…"), 以 is more abstract and formal and rarely takes bare physical objects.

Examples

我wǒ们men应yīng当dāng以yǐ事shì实shí说shuō明míng问wèn题tí。
We should explain the problem with facts.
他tā以yǐ行xíng动dòng来lái证zhèng明míng自zì己jǐ的de诚chéng意yì。
He proved his sincerity through action.
这zhè篇piān文wén章zhāng以yǐ小xiǎo见jiàn大dà，发fā人rén深shēn省xǐng。
This essay uses the small to reveal the large, and is thought-provoking.
政zhèng府fǔ决jué定dìng以yǐ法fǎ律lǜ手shǒu段duàn解jiě决jué纠jiū纷fēn。
The government decided to settle the dispute by legal means.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.