利益 (lì yì)

Character breakdown

• 利 (Lì) · 7 strokes

  Depicts harvesting grain (禾) with a blade (刂). Harvest was the main source of profit in agricultural societies.

• 益 (Yì) · 10 strokes

  Depicts food or drink filling up a container (皿). Based on the original meaning "overflow", now written as 溢. The meaning later shifted to "increase" and "benefit".