监 (jiān) — (bound form) to supervise; to oversee; (bound form) prison; jail (in 监牢)
Definition
监 (jiān) is a bound form meaning 'to supervise/oversee' or 'prison' — it only appears in compounds like 监督, 监察, 监牢, never alone.
bound form
to superviseto overseeprisonjail (in 监牢)
Easily confused
- 滥lànlook-alikeoverflowing, flooding (as in 泛滥)
- 间jiānsound-alike(classifier) for rooms, offices, and other enclosed spaces
- 蓝lánlook-alikeblue
- 尖jiānsound-alike(adjective) sharp, pointed; shrill, tapering, piercing; acute, keen
- 槛jiànlook-alike(bound form) threshold; door sill
- 煎jiānsound-aliketo pan-fry; to sauté
Examples
- 。Zhèng fǔ yào jiā qiáng duì shí pǐn ān quán de jiān dū.The government needs to strengthen supervision of food safety.
- 。Zhè ge xiàng mù xū yào yán gé de jiān chá.This project requires strict monitoring.
- 。Tā yīn wèi fàn zuì bèi guān jìn le jiān láo.He was thrown into prison for committing a crime.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 監; 监 is its simplified writing.
- 臥臥wòa person with an emphasized eye
- 皿皿mǐncontainer
The traditional form 監 shows 臥, a person with an emphasized eye, looking into 皿, a container; the simplified 监 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.