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尖锐 (jiān ruì) — (for a blade or point) sharp; (for sound or pain) piercing, shrill; (for criticism, conflict, or observation) pointed, cutting, acute

Definition

尖锐 covers three registers — sharp blades, piercing sounds, and cutting remarks or analysis. For mental sharpness, 敏锐 ('keen, astute') fits people; 尖锐 fits the words or critique themselves.

adjective
(for a blade or point) sharp(for sound or pain) piercingshrill(for criticism, conflict, or observation) pointedcuttingacute

Examples

  • 尖锐。
    Zhè kuài bō li de biān yuán hěn jiān ruì.
    The edge of this piece of glass is sharp.
  • 尖锐。
    Tā tū rán fā chū yí zhèn jiān ruì de jiān jiào.
    She suddenly let out a piercing scream.
  • 尖锐。
    Tā duì zhè ge wèn tí de fēn xī fēi cháng jiān ruì.
    His analysis of the problem is very penetrating.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

尖jiānsharp
锐ruìkeen

尖 and 锐 both mean sharp or keen, so together they describe a piercing or pointed quality.

Characters in this word

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

尖 puts 小 (small) above 大 (large), showing the width of an object gradually changing from small to large.

Open 尖 →

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 銳; 锐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
釒釒jīngold
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì銳ruì
Same sound today

The traditional form 銳 pairs 釒, a gold sign, with 兌 as the sound part; the simplified 锐 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 锐 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 5Good & Bad

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