有益

• Pinyin: yǒu yì
• Hanzi breakdown: 有 = have; 益 = 皿 + 氺 (vessel + overflowing water — benefit/surplus)

Meaning

Beneficial; advantageous; good for. Indicates that something produces positive effects or contributes to wellbeing, development, or progress.

Always followed by 于 or used attributively (有益的活动). Common collocations: 有益于健康 (beneficial to health), 有益于社会 (beneficial to society), 有益身心 (good for body and mind). More formal than 对...好 or 对...有好处. Closely associated with the classical phrase 开卷有益 (reading books is always beneficial).

Examples

1. 双语或多语学习在青少年阶段有益于语言习得，也能增强认知灵活性和记忆力。 Bilingual or multilingual learning is beneficial for language acquisition in adolescence, and it can also strengthen cognitive flexibility and memory.
2. 将碳税、碳交易和可再生能源补贴结合起来的国家，在减排和增长之间取得了最有益的平衡。 Countries that combine carbon taxes, emissions trading, and renewable-energy subsidies achieve the most beneficial balance between emissions cuts and growth.
3. 与其回避新技术，不如设计真正有益于全人类的治理框架和伦理规范。 Rather than avoiding new technology, it is better to design governance frameworks and ethical standards that are truly beneficial to all humanity.

Usage Guide

Context: health, education, social values, policy

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 每周四到五次中等强度有氧运动很有益，不仅能控血糖血压，还能降低抑郁焦虑风险。(Moderate aerobic exercise four to five times a week is very beneficial; it can not only control blood sugar and blood pressure, but also reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.)
• 再忙也别忽视阅读，哪怕每天十五分钟，长期坚持也有益身心。(No matter how busy you are, do not neglect reading; even fifteen minutes a day can be beneficial to both body and mind if you keep it up.)

Don't Say

• 这件事有益无益 — 有益 cannot be paired with 无益 as a binary contrast phrase; use 利弊参半 (equal pros and cons) or 有利有弊 for balanced evaluations of something with both advantages and disadvantages

Origin & History

有 (to have) + 益 (benefit/advantage — 皿 vessel + water overflowing; water overflowing a vessel, hence beneficial surplus/advantage). Together: to have benefit/advantage.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal