TongTong
Sign in

易于 (yì yú) — to be prone to; to be likely to (followed by a verb phrase)

Definition

易于 (yì yú) is a written verb meaning 'to be prone / likely to' — it pairs with another verb (易于+变形). Stronger and more formal than 会 ('will, be likely to'); close in meaning to 好 (as in 好激动) but more written in register.

verb
to be prone toto be likely to (followed by a verb phrase)

Examples

  • 易于，。
    Zhè zhǒng cái liào yì yú biàn xíng, shǐ yòng shí yào zhù yì.
    This material is prone to deformation, so be careful when using it.
  • 易于，。
    Zhè ge wèn tí yì yú jiě jué, bù xū yào dān xīn.
    This problem is easy to solve; there's no need to worry.
  • 易于，。
    Tā yì yú jī dòng, shuō huà shí zǒng shì hěn dà shēng.
    He gets excited easily and always speaks very loudly.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

易yìeasy
于yú

易 means 'easy'; 于 is fixed in 易于 and does not point to the following action.

Characters in this word

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Cause, Effect & Logic

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.