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益处 (yì chù) — benefit, advantage (formal)

Definition

A more formal/written alternative to 好处, often paired with 对… to show who benefits (e.g. 对健康的益处). Unlike 优点, it stresses a positive effect or gain rather than an inherent strong point.

noun
benefitadvantage (formal)

Examples

  • 益处。
    Měi tiān hē bā bēi shuǐ duì jiàn kāng yǒu hěn dà yì chù.
    Drinking eight glasses of water daily has great benefits for health.
  • 益处。
    Zhè xiàng gǎi gé gěi qǐ yè dài lái le míng xiǎn de yì chù.
    This reform has brought obvious benefits to enterprises.
  • 益处。
    Cháng qī jiān chí xué xí wài yǔ de yì chù hěn duō.
    There are many benefits to persistently studying a foreign language.

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.

益yìbenefit
处chùplace

益 gives the sense of benefit, and 处 turns it into a thing.

Characters in this word

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

益 puts 水 (water) above 皿 (a vessel), originally showing water overflowing the vessel.

Open 益 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

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