---
title: "Yanbian Meaning: 演变 (yǎnbiàn) Means “to evolve”"
description: "演变 (traditional 演變, yǎnbiàn) means “to evolve; to develop; evolution”. Hear its tones, see what 演 and 变 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yanbian"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 演变 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

演变 yǎnbiàn

## to evolve; to develop; evolution

## Its characters

1. 演 yǎn to develop
2. 变 biàn to change

## In a sentence

这本书介绍了汉字的演变。 This book introduces the evolution of Chinese characters.

[More about 演变](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%BC%94%E5%8F%98)

## More words with 演 or 变

- [扮演 bànyǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/banyan)
- [变成 biànchéng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/biancheng)
- [变动 biàndòng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/biandong)
- [变革 biàngé](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/biange)
- [变更 biàngēng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/biangeng)
- [变化 biànhuà](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bianhua)
- [变换 biànhuàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bianhuan)
- [变形 biànxíng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bianxing)
- [变异 biànyì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bianyi)
- [表演 biǎoyǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/biaoyan)

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