容易 vs 简单

[Meng Lelan]

What is the difference between 容易rongyi and 简单 jiandan?

For example, can one say 这个汉字很容易写 (This character is easy to write) ?

[Entropy_Rising]

As far as I know it's the difference between "easy" and "simple." I think. For the most part.

[veronica_china]

In my opinion, "jiandan" and "rongyi" have the similar meaning when they are used predicative adjective in Chinese grammar. For instance, there is the same meaning between"这个问题很容易" and "这个问题很简单". But "rongyi" usually used as adverbial modifier to modify the predicate verb. It means easily. For example, "这个问题很容易(被)回答（zhege wenti hen rongyi（bei） huida）". In English grammar, "This question is easy to answer", "easy" was a predicative adjective, "to answer" was regarded as the complement of the predicative adjective. But in Chinese grammar "rongyi" modify "huida". "zhege wenti" is subject, "huida" is predicate verb, "rongyi" is used adverbial modifier. Whereas "jiandan" is hardly used as adverbial modifier.

This is my view, don't know whether express clearly, only supply for your reference!

[HashiriKata]

I don't have a good answer for this question but in an attempt to find out the difference, I came up with these two sentences:

简单地解决一个不容易的问题.

容易地解决一个不简单的问题.

Are they both correct? If they are, they seem to mean slightly different from each other.

(And also:

(简单地解决 is not quite the same as 容易地解决

不容易的问题 is not quite the same as 不简单的问题)

[semantic nuance]

你的問題很簡單, 但是不容易回答.

Your question is simple, but not easy to answer.

簡單 simple, easy 容易. What's the difference between 'simple' and 'easy'?

[skylee]

hmm.... things that are simple are not always easy. like 信耶穌得永生. simple, but not easy.

I like Entropy_Rising's post #2.

[Meng Lelan]

It seems like 容易 is used for verbs. So would it be correct to say 英文很容易写？

[L-F-J]

easy vs simple.... seems pretty simple and easy to me. its about the same in chinese.

这个汉字很容易写，因为它的结构很简单。

[HashiriKata]

信耶穌得永生

No thanks!