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僵硬 (jiāng yìng) — stiff, rigid

Definition

僵硬 is 'stiff/rigid' in both a physical sense (limbs, materials) and a figurative sense (attitude, manner — unyielding, inflexible). It's more literary than 硬 and broader than 僵, which is mainly for body parts.

adjective
stiffrigid

Examples

  • ，僵硬。
    Yùn dòng zhī hòu, wǒ de tuǐ biàn de hěn jiāng yìng.
    After exercising, my legs become very stiff.
  • 僵硬，。
    Tā de tài dù tài jiāng yìng, bú yuàn jiē shòu rèn hé jiàn yì.
    His attitude is too rigid; he's unwilling to accept any suggestions.
  • 僵硬。
    Zhè kuài shí tou mō qǐ lái hěn jiāng yìng.
    This stone feels very stiff.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

僵jiāngstiff
硬yìnghard

“僵” and “硬” both suggest lack of flexibility, together meaning stiff or rigid.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 僵 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
更
更gèng硬yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

硬 is built from 石, meaning stone, to show hardness or stiffness, and 更, which gives the sound.

Open 硬 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Texture & Quality

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