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由俭入奢易，由奢入俭难

yóu jiǎn rù shē yì , yóu shē rù jiǎn nándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance / the reverse is not so easy
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-dc641294e43acfb4. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

由儉入奢易，由奢入儉難 由俭入奢易，由奢入俭难 [you2 jian3 ru4 she1 yi4 , you2 she1 ru4 jian3 nan2] /(idiom) it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance; the reverse is not so easy/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 由儉入奢易，由奢入儉難

  • 由
    yóu

    to follow / from / because of / due to / by / via / through / (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...

  • 俭
    jiǎn

    (bound form) frugal / thrifty

  • 入
    rù

    to enter / to go into / to join / to become a member of / (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時|入时[rù shí]) / abbr. for 入聲|入声[rù shēng] / (on product packaging, after {number n} + {classifier}) containing (n pieces) (from Japanese 入 "iri")

  • 奢
    shē

    extravagant

  • 易
    yì

    easy / amiable / to change / to exchange / prefix corresponding to the English adjective suffix "-able" or "-ible"

    Yì

    surname Yi / I Ching / Book of Changes (abbr. for 易經|易经[Yì jīng])

  • 由
    yóu

    to follow / from / because of / due to / by / via / through / (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...

  • 奢
    shē

    extravagant

  • 入
    rù

    to enter / to go into / to join / to become a member of / (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時|入时[rù shí]) / abbr. for 入聲|入声[rù shēng] / (on product packaging, after {number n} + {classifier}) containing (n pieces) (from Japanese 入 "iri")

  • 俭
    jiǎn

    (bound form) frugal / thrifty

  • 难
    nán

    difficult (to...) / problem / difficulty / difficult / not good

    nàn

    disaster / distress / to scold

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.