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精明 (jīng míng) — astute, shrewd, smart (especially in handling affairs and personal gain)

Definition

精明 focuses on practical shrewdness in handling affairs and personal gain — sharper self-interest than 机灵's quick-witted cleverness, and less about raw intellect than 智能.

adjective
astuteshrewdsmart (especially in handling affairs and personal gain)

Examples

  • 精明，。
    Tā zuò shēng yi hěn jīng míng, zǒng néng zhǎo dào zuì hǎo de jià gé.
    He is very shrewd in business and always finds the best prices.
  • 精明，。
    Zhè wèi tóu zī zhě yǎn guāng jīng míng, hěn shǎo shī shǒu.
    This investor has sharp vision and rarely makes a mistake.
  • 精明。
    Yí gè jīng míng de shāng rén zhī dào shén me shí hou gāi mào xiǎn.
    A shrewd businessman knows when to take risks.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

精jīngclever
明míngintelligent

「精」 and 「明」 both suggest quick, clear understanding, together meaning shrewd.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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