TongTong
Sign in

捷径 (jié jìng) — shortcut

Definition

捷径 (noun) is 'shortcut' in the sense of a quicker route or a way to skip effort, e.g. success has no shortcut. 快捷 is the adjective 'quick/efficient' (and 'shortcut' only as a computing term like 快捷键) — different part of speech.

noun
shortcut
Measure word · 条
Easily confused

Examples

  • 捷径，。
    Chéng gōng méi yǒu jié jìng, bì xū yí bù yí bù lái.
    Success has no shortcuts; you must go step by step.
  • 捷径。
    Zhè tiáo jié jìng kě yǐ ràng wǒ men gèng kuài dào dá shān dǐng.
    This shortcut can get us to the mountain top faster.
  • ，。
    Tā zǒng xiǎng zǒu jié jìng, jié guǒ fǎn ér làng fèi le gèng duō shí jiān.
    He always wants to take shortcuts, but ends up wasting more time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

捷jiéquick or easy
径jìngpath

捷 means quick or easy and 径 means path, together meaning a quick path or shortcut.

Characters in this word

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
疌
疌jié捷jié
Same sound today

捷 pairs 手 (hand) with 疌, which gives its sound.

Open 捷 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徑; 径 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng徑
Same sound today

The traditional form 徑 is built from 彳 and 巠, with 巠 giving the sound; the simplified 径 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 径 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsDirections

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.