See also:
U+6613, 易
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6613

[U+6612]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+6614]
U+F9E0, 易
CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F9E0

[U+F9DF]
CJK Compatibility Ideographs
[U+F9E1]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

(Kangxi radical 72, 日+4, 8 strokes, cangjie input 日心竹竹 (APHH), four-corner 60227, composition )

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 492, character 3
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13814
  • Dae Jaweon: page 854, character 8
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1494, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+6613

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts

Oracle bone script and bronze inscriptions: a pictogram (象形) of a filled container, the original form of (OC *sleːɡs, “to confer, to bestow”). Possibly specialised from (OC *qleɡ, “to increase, to add”). Perhaps borrowed phonetically to mean "easy".

The character is not the pictogram of a chameleon, as folk etymology says. Unrelated to since it doesn't represent the sun.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.
2nd round simp. 𠃓

From (OC *lal, “to change; to alter”) + k-extension (Schuessler, 2007). The meaning of "change, alter" is linked to "give, bestow" since something given by somebody to somebody else "changes" its owner.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation


Note:
  • ih7 - literary;
  • ia5 - colloquial (only as a surname or when referring to 易經).
Note:
  • e̍k/ia̍k - literary;
  • ia̍h - colloquial (only as a surname or when referring to 易經).
Note:
  • êg8 - literary;
  • iah8 - colloquial (only as a surname or when referring to 易經).
  • Wu
    • (Northern: Shanghai)
      • Wugniu: 8yiq
      • MiniDict: yih
      • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): 5hhiq
      • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦiɪʔ¹²/

Rime
Character
Reading # 2/2
Initial () (36)
Final () (123)
Tone (調) Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division () III
Fanqie
Baxter yek
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/jiᴇk̚/
Pan
Wuyun
/jiɛk̚/
Shao
Rongfen
/iæk̚/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/jiajk̚/
Li
Rong
/iɛk̚/
Wang
Li
/jĭɛk̚/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/i̯ɛk̚/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
jik6
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 2/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
Middle
Chinese
‹ yek ›
Old
Chinese
/*lek/
English change; exchange

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
Reading # 2/2
No. 15034
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
0
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*leɡ/
Notes

Definitions

  1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Original form of (, “to give; to bestow”).
  2. to exchange; to interchange
  3. to change; to alter; to modify
  4. short for 易經易经 (Yìjīng, “I Ching”)
  5. a surname

Compounds

Descendants

  • Thai: แลก (lɛ̂ɛk)

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *loj (easy). Cognate with Burmese လွယ် (lwai, easy).

Pronunciation



Rime
Character
Reading # 1/2
Initial () (36)
Final () (11)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division () III
Fanqie
Baxter yeH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/jiᴇH/
Pan
Wuyun
/jiɛH/
Shao
Rongfen
/jɛH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/jiə̆H/
Li
Rong
/ieH/
Wang
Li
/jǐeH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/ie̯H/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
ji6
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
Middle
Chinese
‹ yeH ›
Old
Chinese
/*lek-s/
English easy

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
Reading # 1/2
No. 15029
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
0
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*leːɡs/

Definitions

  1. easy; simple; not difficult
    Antonym:  /
  2. gentle; kind
  3. effortless; prone to
  4. easily; effortlessly
Synonyms

Compounds

  • 三不易
  • 來之不易 / 来之不易 (láizhībùyì)
  • 反掌之易
  • 和易
  • 器小易盈
  • 坦易
  • 大不易
  • 夷易
  • 始終不易 / 始终不易
  • 容易
  • 小器易盈
  • 居大不易
  • 居易
  • 嶢嶢易缺 / 峣峣易缺
  • 平心易氣 / 平心易气 (píngxīnyìqì)
  • 平易 (píngyì)
  • 平易謙沖 / 平易谦冲
  • 平易近人 (píngyìjìnrén)
  • 平易近民
  • 彩雲易散 / 彩云易散
  • 得來不易 / 得来不易 (déláibùyì)
  • 情詞易工 / 情词易工
  • 慢易
  • 易刑處分 / 易刑处分
  • 易加卡
  • 易北河 (Yìběi Hé)
  • 易卜生
  • 易可
  • 易堂九子
  • 易如反掌 (yìrúfǎnzhǎng)
  • 易如拾芥
  • 易如翻掌
  • 易守難攻 / 易守难攻
  • 易帶 / 易带
  • 易感性 (yìgǎnxìng)
  • 易手 (yìshǒu)
  • 易拉罐 (yìlāguàn)
  • 易於反掌 / 易于反掌
  • 易易
  • 易熔合金
  • 易燃物
  • 易知由單 / 易知由单
  • 易窯 / 易窑 (Yìyáo)
  • 易與 / 易与
  • 易通釋 / 易通释
  • 易開罐 / 易开罐 (yìkāiguàn)
  • 未易才
  • 樂易 / 乐易
  • 淺易 / 浅易 (qiǎnyì)
  • 淺而易見 / 浅而易见
  • 深耕易耨
  • 淺顯易懂 / 浅显易懂
  • 盛筵易散
  • 眾擎易舉 / 众擎易举
  • 知易行難 / 知易行难
  • 知難行易 / 知难行易
  • 簡易 / 简易 (jiǎnyì)
  • 簡易師範 / 简易师范
  • 脫易 / 脱易
  • 賢賢易色 / 贤贤易色
  • 輕易 / 轻易 (qīngyì)
  • 輕而易舉 / 轻而易举 (qīng'éryìjǔ)
  • 辟易 (bìyì)
  • 道近易從 / 道近易从
  • 避難就易 / 避难就易
  • 鄙易
  • 量小易盈
  • 陰陽易位 / 阴阳易位
  • 險易 / 险易
  • 難易 / 难易 (nányì)
  • 難易適中 / 难易适中
  • 顯而易見 / 显而易见 (xiǎn'éryìjiàn)
  • 馮唐易老 / 冯唐易老
  • 驕易 / 骄易

Descendants

  • Vietnamese: dễ

Etymology 3

simp. and trad.
alternative forms

Possibly from (OC *ɡʷeːds) (Li Ru-long, 2002).

Pronunciation


Definitions

  1. (Min) easy; not difficult
Synonyms

References

  • ”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
  • 郭启熹 [Guo, Qixi], editor (2016), “”, in 龙岩方言词典 LONGYAN FANGYAN CIDIAN [Dictionary of Longyan dialect] (overall work in Min Nan and Mandarin), Xiamen: 鷺江出版社 [Lujiang Publishing House], →ISBN, page 60.

Japanese

Kanji

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

  • Go-on: (i, Jōyō)やく (yaku)
  • Kan-on: (i, Jōyō)えき (eki, Jōyō)
  • Kun: おさめる (osameru, 易める)やさしい (yasashii, 易しい, Jōyō)かえる (kaeru, 易える)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
えき
Grade: 5
kan'on

From Middle Chinese (MC yek).

The kan'on, so likely a later borrowing.

Pronunciation

Noun

(えき) • (eki

  1. divination; fortune-telling
Synonyms

Proper noun

(えき) • (Eki

  1. short for 易経 (Ekikyō, I Ching (Chinese classic text))

Affix

(えき) • (eki

  1. exchange
  2. divination; fortune-telling

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term

Grade: 5
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese (MC yeH).

Pronunciation

Noun

() • (i

  1. something easy to do; easiness

Affix

() • (i

  1. easy; simple

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese (MC yek).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 Recorded as Middle Korean 역〮 (Yale: yék) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.
Middle Korean
Text Eumhun
Gloss (hun) Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527 밧ᄭᅩᆯ〮 역 Recorded as Middle Korean (yek) (Yale: yek) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.
Gwangju Cheonjamun, 1575 밧골 역 Recorded as Middle Korean (yek) (Yale: yek) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Pronunciation

Hanja

Wikisource

(eumhun 바꿀 (bakkul yeok))

  1. hanja form? of (change; alteration; modification)

Compounds

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese (MC yeH).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 Recorded as Middle Korean 잉〮 (Yale: í?) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.
Middle Korean
Text Eumhun
Gloss (hun) Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527 쉬울[1] Recorded as Middle Korean (i) (Yale: i) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.
  1. ^ 去聲

Pronunciation

  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [i(ː)]
  • Phonetic hangul: [(ː)]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

(eumhun 쉬울 (swiul i))

  1. hanja form? of (easy)

Compounds

References

  • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典. [2]

Vietnamese

Han character

: Hán Nôm readings: dịch, dể, dễ, di, diệc, dẻ, dẹ, dị, dịu, rẻ, rể

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.