King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Chinese symbol for “evolution”

演进
yǎn jìn
Traditional: 演進
evolution; gradual forward progress

The closest CC-CEDICT match for evolution is 演进 (yǎn jìn), defined as: evolution; gradual forward progress.

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Characters and stroke order

演 yǎn
to perform, to act, to put on a play
radical 85 ⽔ · 14 strokes
进 jìn
to advance, to make progress; to come in, to enter
radical 162 ⾡ · 7 strokes

Traditional forms

Other Chinese words for “evolution”

WordPinyinMeaning
进化 (進化)jìn huàto evolve (biologically, technologically etc); evolution
演化yǎn huàto evolve; evolution
天演tiān yǎnnatural change; evolution (early translation, since replaced by 進化|进化)

Related words

Other words that share a character with 演进.

WordPinyinMeaning
表演biǎo yǎnplay; show
导演 (導演)dǎo yǎnto direct; director (film etc)
演员 (演員)yǎn yuánactor; actress; performer
演出yǎn chūto act (in a play); to perform
演讲 (演講)yǎn jiǎngto give a lecture; to make a speech
扮演bàn yǎnto play the role of; to act
进行 (進行)jìn xíng(of a process etc) to proceed; to be in progress; to be underway; (of people) to carry out; to conduct (an investigation or discussion etc)
进入 (進入)jìn rùto enter; to go into

See also: Japanese symbol for “evolution”.

Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Last posts

  1. Best Foam Staffs for Kids Sparring and Safe Play
  2. Choosing a Wushu Practice Spear for Daily Training
  3. Are Wushu Spears Sold With Safe Blunt Tips
  4. Choosing a Tai Chi Long Pole for Form Practice
  5. Choosing the Best Bamboo Staff for Light Martial Arts Practice
  6. Choosing the Right Bo Staff Diameter for Smaller Hands
  7. Bo Staffs for Tall Adults Buying for Height and Reach
  8. Are LED Bo Staffs Good for Practice or Just for Shows
  9. Best Oils for Wooden Staff Maintenance and Longevity
  10. Best Bo Staff Instructional DVDs for Serious Martial Artists