noun #16,967

Meanings

  1. 1 benefit; profit; advantage
  2. 2 to increase; increasingly

Examples

Dúshū duì nǐ yǒuyì.
Reading is beneficial for you.
Zhè duì dàjiā dōu yǒulì yì.
This benefits everyone.
Wèntí rìyì yánzhòng.
The problem is getting increasingly serious.

Tips

usage
利益 (lìyì) = interest/benefit, 有益 (yǒuyì) = beneficial, 日益 (rìyì) = increasingly, 收益 (shōuyì) = revenue/earnings.

Components

radical
mǐn
dish; vessel
Bottom — the indexing radical, a pictograph of a wide flat dish on a stand. Indexes in the vessel family with basin, small cup, plate, lid. Filled with water spilling over the top, here is the brimming bowl behind the abstract meaning 'to add to, benefit'.
semantic
shuǐ
water (here drawn sideways as overflowing droplets)
Top is rotated and stylised, originally droplets spilling sideways over the rim of the vessel below. The early pictured a basin so full it overflowed, giving the senses 'to overflow / increase / benefit' (利益 benefit, 益处 advantage). The top is the action; the bottom is the container.

Stroke Order