容易 róngyì easy
easy; likely; liable (to)
How to remember 容易: 容 contain + 易 easy = easy.
Characters
How it is used
- Means "easy" but also "prone to / likely to" - 冬天容易感冒 (dōngtiān róngyì gǎnmào) you catch cold easily in winter.
- For a task being simple, 容易 and 简单 overlap (这道题很容易 this question is easy), but only 容易 carries the "liable to happen" sense - 容易忘 (róngyì wàng) tends to be forgotten.
- Opposite is 难 (nán, hard/difficult), not 复杂 - 很难学 (hěn nán xué) very hard to learn.
Example sentences
- 游泳很容易。 Yóuyǒng hěn róngyì.Swimming is easy.
- 冬天容易感冒。 Dōngtiān róngyì gǎnmào.It's easy to catch a cold in winter.