Meaning of 不易
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- not easy to do sth
- difficult
- unchanging
How to use 不易
不易 is more formal and written than 不容易 (bù róngyì), and it often appears in news, speeches, and set phrases. It can also mean unchanging, as in the idiom 颠扑不破 style phrase 不易之论 (bùyì zhī lùn), an unchangeable truth. Example: 这个机会来之不易。(Zhège jīhuì lái zhī bùyì.) This opportunity did not come easily.
不 (bù) means not, and 易 (yì) means easy, as in 容易 (róngyì). Put them together and you get not easy, a more formal way to say something is hard.
Common mistake: Learners often read 易 as yí or yǐ, but it is fourth tone yì, and 不 stays fourth tone bù here because 易 is not fourth tone after a change rule? Actually 不 before a fourth tone becomes second tone, so say búyì in speech. Also do not use 不易 casually in chat where 不容易 or 很难 (hěn nán) sounds more natural.
不易 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
易 yì · to change · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 不易.
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
Questions about 不易
What does 不易 mean?
不易 (bùyì) means "not easy to do sth; difficult" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 不易?
不易 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 易 (8 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 不易 an HSK word?
Yes. 不易 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不易 and 难?
难 (nán) is the everyday word for hard and works in almost any context. 不易 is more formal and often stresses that something took real effort, such as success or a hard life.
What does 来之不易 mean?
来之不易 (lái zhī bùyì) is a common set phrase meaning hard-won or not easily obtained. People use it for things like peace, success, or a good relationship that should be valued.