易如反掌
Chinese
| change; easy; simple | as (if); such as | to turn over one's palm; to be very easy to accomplish | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (易如反掌) | 易 | 如 | 反掌 | |
| simp. #(易如反掌) | 易 | 如 | 反掌 | |
| Literally: “as easy as turning one's hand over”. | ||||
Etymology
From Mencius:
The four-character form first attested in c. 154 BCE, in Mei Cheng (or Mei Sheng)'s letter to Liu Bi, dissuading him from revolt:
- 必若所欲為，危於累卵，難於上天；變所欲為，易於反掌，安於泰山。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: c. 154 BCE, 枚乘,《上書諫吳王》, translated by Stephen Owen
- Bì ruò suǒ yù wéi, wēi yú lěiluǎn, nán yú shàngtiān; biàn suǒ yù wéi, yì yú fǎnzhǎng, ān yú Tàishān. [Pinyin]
- If you must act as you wish, it will be:
more precarious than a pile of eggs,
harder than climbing to Heaven.
If you change what you wish, it will be:
easier than turning over the hand,
more secure than Tai Mountain.
必若所欲为，危于累卵，难于上天；变所欲为，易于反掌，安于泰山。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Pinyin): yìrúfǎnzhǎng
- (Zhuyin): ㄧˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄈㄢˇ ㄓㄤˇ
- Cantonese (Jyutping): ji6 jyu4 faan2 zoeng2
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: yìrúfǎnzhǎng [Phonetic: yìrúfánzhǎng]
- Zhuyin: ㄧˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄈㄢˇ ㄓㄤˇ
- Tongyong Pinyin: yìrúfǎnjhǎng
- Wade–Giles: i4-ju2-fan3-chang3
- Yale: yì-rú-fǎn-jǎng
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yihrufaanjaang
- Palladius: ижуфаньчжан (ižufanʹčžan)
- Sinological IPA (key): /i⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ fän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: ji6 jyu4 faan2 zoeng2
- Yale: yih yùh fáan jéung
- Cantonese Pinyin: ji6 jy4 faan2 dzoeng2
- Guangdong Romanization: yi6 yu4 fan2 zêng2
- Sinological IPA (key): /jiː²² jyː²¹ faːn³⁵ t͡sœːŋ³⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Middle Chinese: yeH nyo pjonX tsyangX
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*lek-s na Cə.panʔ [k.t]aŋʔ/
- (Zhengzhang): /*leːɡs nja panʔ tjaŋʔ/
Idiom
易如反掌