The combination of ethyl acetate and sodium hydroxide
is a common reaction in chemistry. Ethyl acetate is common to esters, while sodium hydroxide is a strong base.

When the two meet, the ester bond breaks. The acetyl group of ethyl acetate ($CH_3CO - $) combines with the hydroxide group of sodium hydroxide ($OH ^ - $) to form sodium acetate ($CH_3COONa $); and the ethyl group ($- OC_2H_5 $) combines with the sodium ion of sodium hydroxide ($Na ^ + $) to obtain sodium ethanol ($C_2H_5ONa $). However, sodium ethanol is unstable in water and will further react with water to form ethanol ($C_2H_5OH $) and sodium hydroxide. This is because ethanol is less acidic than water.

The formula for its chemical reaction is as follows: $CH_3COOC_2H_5 + NaOH\ longrightarrow CH_3COONa + C_2H_5OH $. This reaction is a hydrolysis reaction, and under alkaline conditions, the hydrolysis tends to be complete. The equilibrium shifts to the right due to the reaction of base and the acid generated by hydrolysis.

Looking at this reaction, we can see that the chemical changes are very subtle. The interaction between substances, according to their inherent nature, follows the laws of chemistry and shows thousands of changes. This is the charm of chemistry.