恬静 (tián jìng) — peaceful; tranquil (of environment, atmosphere, or a person's demeanor)

Definition

Literary word for a quietly calm, undisturbed atmosphere or demeanor — stronger and more elegant than 安静, which just means 'quiet'. Often describes scenery or a person's expression.

adjective
peacefultranquil (of environment, atmosphere, or a person's demeanor)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 恬静，。
    Zhè lǐ de huán jìng fēi cháng tián jìng, ràng rén xīn kuàng shén yí.
    The environment here is very peaceful, refreshing the mind and lifting the spirits.
  • 恬静，。
    Tā liǎn shàng dài zhe tián jìng de wēi xiào, ràng rén gǎn dào hěn shū fu.
    She wore a tranquil smile on her face, making people feel very comfortable.
  • 恬静，。
    Yè wǎn de hú biān yì cháng tián jìng, zhǐ yǒu fēng shēng hé chóng míng.
    The lakeside at night was unusually tranquil, with only the wind and insects singing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

恬tiáncalm
静jìngquiet

The calm sense of 恬 and quiet sense of 静 reinforce each other to describe a peaceful state.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
甜
甜tián恬tián
Same sound today

恬 is built from 心 (heart) and 甜; the heart part shows the meaning is about the mind or feelings, while 甜 gives the sound.

Open 恬 →

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 靜; 静 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 靜, not the simplified 静, uses 青 and 爭 for sound; an old source also treats 青 (blue) as a meaning part.

Open 静 →

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