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轻而易举 (qīng ér yì jǔ) — very easy, effortless (idiom)

Definition

Idiom meaning 'effortless, easy to do' — stronger and more literary than 容易, and not a fixed 4-character idiom like 小菜一碟 (which is colloquial 'a piece of cake').

phrase
very easyeffortless (idiom)

Examples

  • 轻而易举。
    Zhè jiàn shì bú shì qīng ér yì jǔ jiù néng wán chéng de.
    This matter is not something that can be completed easily.
  • 轻而易举。
    Tā qīng ér yì jǔ dì yíng dé le bǐ sài.
    He won the match with ease.
  • ，轻而易举。
    Duì zhuān yè rén shì lái shuō, zhè ge wèn tí qīng ér yì jǔ.
    For professionals, this problem is a piece of cake.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 輕; 轻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng輕qīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 輕 pairs 車, a carriage, with 巠 to give the sound; it originally named a light carriage. The simplified 轻 is only a later shorthand.

Open 轻 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The early form of 易 was a drawing of a filled container, not a chameleon. It showed something full that could be given out.

Open 易 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 舉; 举 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
與
與yǔ舉jǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 舉 pairs 與, which gives the sound, with 手, a hand; the simplified 举 is a later shorthand.

Open 举 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Idioms & Set Phrases

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