益

益 U+FA17, 益 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-FA17 ← 猪 CJK Compatibility Ideographs 礼 →

Translingual

Alternative forms

• In Korean hanja, the upper component of the character is written 八 instead of 丷, which is also the historical form found in the Kangxi dictionary.
• A CJK compatibility ideograph exists at U+FA17 for the historical form found in the Kangxi dictionary which contains 八 as its upper component.
• A CJK compatibility ideograph exists at U+FAA6 for the alternative hanja used in North Korea which contains 丷 as its upper component.

Han character

益 (Kangxi radical 108, 皿+5, 10 strokes, cangjie input 廿金月廿 (TCBT), four-corner 8010₇, composition ⿳䒑八皿(GHTJV or U+FAA6) or ⿱⿳八一八皿(K or U+FA17))

Derived characters

• 𪝞, 𭂚, 𭄷, 嗌, 塧, 㜋, 𡺬, 𭛃, 𭛽, 𪬘, 搤, 溢, 獈, 隘, 膉, 榏, 㱲, 𬎃, 䅬, 𮄷, 縊(缢), 𬙻, 𫆌, 艗, 螠, 謚(谥), 貖, 賹, 𬦜, 𬧬, 𨢘, 㬲, 𡒪, 鎰(镒), 𥂺, 𤐹, 𩝱, 𪤴, 𪕶, 齸, 𥃠
• 𪟢, 𨜶, 𣣼, 𬐭, 䚊, 𭘺, 𩔱, 𭾓, 鷁(鹢), 𧔈, 蠲, 𨽪, 𭗆, 𦶩, 𤸸, 𨶂, 𦿯

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 793, character 18
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 22972
• Dae Jaweon: page 1208, character 18
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2560, character 6
• Unihan data for U+76CA

• Unihan data for U+FA17

• Unihan data for U+FAA6

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 益
Shang	Western Zhou
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 水 (“water”) + 皿 (“vessel”). Original form of 溢 (OC *liɡ, “to overflow”). Upper component resembles 氺 (“water”) in a horizontal form.

Compare 易.

Etymology

Bodman (1980) relates it to Tibetan སྐྱེད (skyed, “growth; increase; profit; to generate”), སྐྱེ (skye, “to be born”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

益

1. (obsolete) Original form of 溢 (yì, “to overflow”).

   • 澭水暴益，荊人弗知。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     澭水暴益，荆人弗知。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Lü Buwei, Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, 239 BCE

     Yōngshuǐ bào yì, Jīng rén fú zhī.

     The Yong River suddenly overflowed, but the Chu people did not know.

2. (literary) affluent; well-off
3. to increase; to add; to cause gain

   Antonym: 損／损 (sǔn)

   延年益壽／延年益寿  ―  yánniányìshòu  ―  to prolong life

   • 為學日益，為道日損。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     为学日益，为道日损。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Wéixué rì yì, wéidào rì sǔn.

     He who devotes himself to learning seeks from day to day to increase; he who devotes himself to the Dao seeks from day to day to diminish.

   • 於是出私金以益公賞。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     于是出私金以益公赏。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhanguo Ce, circa 5^th – 3^rd centuries BCE

     Yúshì chū sījīn yǐ yì gōngshǎng.

     Thus he expended his private money to add to the official rewards.

4. profit; benefit; gain

   收益  ―  shōuyì  ―  profit

   開卷有益／开卷有益  ―  kāijuǎnyǒuyì  ―  reading is beneficial

5. (literary) more; further; even more

   日益  ―  rìyì  ―  day by day; increasingly

   • 如水益深，如火益熱，亦運而已矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     如水益深，如火益热，亦运而已矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Rú shuǐ yì shēn, rú huǒ yì rè, yì yùn éryǐ yǐ.

     If you make the water more deep and the fire more fierce, they will in like manner make another revolution.

6. 42nd hexagram of the I Ching
7. (Cantonese) to benefit; to advantage

   淨係益自己友 [Cantonese, trad.]
   净系益自己友 [Cantonese, simp.]

   zing⁶ hai⁶ jik¹ zi⁶ gei² jau^5-2

   to only benefit people in one's own circle

Synonyms

• (more):

Compounds

Descendants

Others:

• → Thai: อีก (ìik, “again, (do something) more”)

References

• “益”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Shinjitai	益
Kyūjitai	益 益 or 益+︀?
	益󠄁 益+󠄁? (Adobe-Japan1)
	益󠄃 益+󠄃? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

Kanji

(grade 5 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 益)

1. benefit
2. gain
3. profit
4. advantage

Readings

• Go-on: やく (yaku, Jōyō ^†)
• Kan-on: えき (eki, Jōyō)
• Kun: ます (masu, 益す); ますます (masumasu, 益)
• Nanori: あり (ari); すすむ (susumu); のり (nori); まし (mashi); ます (masu); また (mata); み (mi); みつ (mitsu); やす (yasu); よし (yoshi)

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 益 (MC 'jiek, “increase”). The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) えき (Heiban – )
• (Tokyo) え​き (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

益(えき) • (eki) 

1. benefit
2. profit

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 益 (MC 'jiek, “increase”). The goon reading, so likely the initial borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) や​く (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

益(やく) • (yaku) 

1. benefit

Derived terms

• ご利(り)益(やく) (go-riyaku), 御(ご)利(り)益(やく) (go-riyaku)

Etymology 3

References

Korean

Hanja

益 (eumhun 더할 익 (deohal ik))

1. Hanja form^? of 익 (“gain; benefit”).

Compounds

Vietnamese

Han character

益: Hán Việt readings: ích (伊(y)昔(tích)切(thiết))
益: Nôm readings: ích, ịch

1. chữ Hán form of ích (“benefit”).
2. Nôm form of ịch (“thud”).

Compounds

References