益 yì — profit · English

益

yì

profit

At a glance · 益

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「益」甲骨文从水从皿，象水满出皿，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「益」本义为溢出、充裕，引申利益、更加、增益。

Structure

从水、从皿，会意字，水满溢出为益，本为饶益，后加水作溢。

At a glance

Pinyinyì

Radical皿

Strokes10

UnicodeU+76CA

Character type会意

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

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English profit profit, benefit; advantage; hexagram ䷩

Français plus / bénéfice Plus, bénéfice. «去而益咏» : d'autant plus loué.

Español más / beneficio Más, beneficio. «去而益咏»: tanto más alabado.

العربية أكثر / نفع أكثر، نفع. «去而益咏»: محمود أكثر.

Русский более / польза Более, польза. «去而益咏»: тем более восхваляем.

Common words

利益lì yìbenefit
益yìmore

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