Definitions

(adjective) easy; simple
(verb) to change
(verb) to exchange

Etymology

Upside-down version of , depicting food or drink being poured from a container (). Based on the original meaning "to bestow, give", now written as . The meaning later shifted to "exchange", "change", and "easy".

About

The character "易" has a history where its earliest meanings centered on concepts of change and exchange, as evidenced in classical works such as the I Ching, where it denotes transformation. Etymologically, it is thought to have originated from a pictographic representation of a lizard, an animal associated with mutability due to its color-changing abilities or skin-shedding, which metaphorically extended to imply alteration and substitution. Structurally, the modern form consists of the components "日" and "勿", though this decomposition is a later rationalization rather than reflecting its ancient pictorial origins. Over time, the semantic range of "易" expanded to include the sense of "easy", likely derived from the idea that change can simplify or facilitate processes, and this meaning became established in common usage alongside its original connotations.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这件事很容

Zhè jiàn shì hěn róng yì.

This matter is very easy.

我们进行了一笔交

Wǒmen jìnxíngle yī bǐ jiāo yì.

We conducted a transaction.

编程学但难精通。

Biānchéng yì xué dàn nán jīngtōng.

Programming is easy to learn but hard to master.

气候变影响农业。

Qìhòu yì biàn yǐngxiǎng nóngyè.

Climate changeability affects agriculture.

他们住在简的房子里。

Tāmen zhù zài jiǎn yì de fángzi lǐ.

They live in a simple house.

这幅画已经手三次。

Zhè fú huà yǐjīng yì shǒu sān cì.

This painting has changed hands three times.

新手机的设计非常用。

Xīn shǒujī de shèjì fēicháng yì yòng.

The design of the new phone is very user-friendly.

老年人感疾病需要定期检查。

Lǎonián rén yì gǎn jíbìng, xūyào dìngqī jiǎnchá.

Elderly people are susceptible to diseases and need regular check-ups.