Definition
演变 (yǎn biàn) describes gradual, long-term changes in societies, customs, or languages — 'to evolve' in an abstract sense. It differs from 进化 (jìn huà), which is used for biological evolution, and from 演化 (yǎn huà), which is more common in scientific contexts for natural/historical development.
verb
to evolveto develop gradually
Examples
- 演变。Shèhuì jiégòu zài bùduàn yǎn biàn.The social structure is constantly evolving.
- 演变。Yǔyán suízhe shídài mànmàn yǎn biàn.Language slowly evolves with the times.
- 演变。Zhège xísú jīngguò jǐ bǎi nián yǎn biàn chéng le xiànzài de yàngzi.This custom evolved into its present form over several centuries.
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