Chinese word

轻而易举

Pronunciation

Pinyinqīng ér yì jǔ

Meaning

  • adjectiveeasy

Example

这件事对他来说轻而易举。zhè jiàn shì duì tā lái shuō qīng ér yì jǔ

This is easy for him.

Illustration for 轻而易举 (easy)

More examples

有了新工具，这项工作变得轻而易举。yǒu le xīn gōng jù zhè xiàng gōng zuò biàn de qīng ér yì jǔ

With a new tool, this task became easy.

Core concept

A task moves from start to finish with almost no effort.

Common phrases

  • 轻而易举地获得胜利qīng ér yì jǔ dì huò dé shèng lì

    win easily

  • 轻而易举地说服对方qīng ér yì jǔ dì shuō fú duì fāng

    persuade the other person easily

Similar words

容易róng yì: Simple to do or understand and requiring little effort.
简单jiǎn dān: Clear and uncomplicated in its structure or procedure.
轻松qīng sōng: Requiring little strain and feeling comfortable to do.
不费力bú fèi lì: Requiring almost no physical or mental effort.

Definition in Chinese

形容做一件事非常容易，几乎不用费力就能完成。xíng róng zuò yí jiàn shì fēi cháng róng yì jī hū bú yòng fèi lì jiù néng wán chéng

Word origin

轻而易举 (qīngéryìjǔ, "light and easy to lift") combines 轻 (qīng, "light") + 而 (ér, "and") + 易 (yì, "easy") + 举 (jǔ, "lift") to present an action as effortless.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this idiom often follows a phrase naming the person concerned, showing that the same task can be effortless for one person but difficult for another.

Opposites

Word lists with this word