Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/易-yì-change;-easy

易 yì change; easy in Mandarin Chinese

Definition

Radical is 日 rì “sun”. The whole character can serve as a phonetic, e.g., 蜴 as in 蜥蜴 xīyì “lizard.” 易 was originally a pictograph of a lizard, with 日 representing the head and the rest of the character representing the body and tail. Some lizards in North China are able to “change” 易 their color to blend in with their surroundings, hence the meaning (the modern character for “lizard” 蜴 has an added “insect” radical). Distinguish 易 from 场 (場) chăng, traditional 陽 yáng, and 喝 hē.

Examples

• 易 Yì Yi [SN]
• 容易 róngyi be easy [SV]

Sources

Book: Intermediate Written Chinese by Cornelius C. Kubler

Other Lessons

• 啊 a particle
• 帮(幫) bāng help; gang, clique
• 酒 jiŭ liquor, wine, spirits
• 足 zú foot; enough
• 务(務) wù be engaged in; matter, affair
• Beverages
• Count to 10
• 赶(趕) găn rush, hurry, make a dash for
• Animal Sounds
• 席 xí feast, banquet
• 运(運) yùn move, transport
• 际(際) jì border, boundary, edge
• 告 gào tell
• 排 pái row, line
• 意 yì meaning, intention