敏捷 (mǐn jié) — (of movement) nimble, agile; (of mind) quick, s… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

敏捷 stresses physical nimbleness (movements, reactions). 灵活 is broader, also covering flexible thinking and plans; 灵敏 is for sharp senses or reactions, not movement.

adjective

(of movement) nimbleagile(of mind) quicksharp

Examples

敏捷，。
Tā fǎn yìng hěn mǐn jié, zǒng néng jí shí huí dá wèn tí.
He reacts very quickly and always answers questions in time.
敏捷，。
Zhè zhī māo de dòng zuò fēi cháng mǐn jié, yí xià zi jiù zhuā zhù le lǎo shǔ.
This cat's movements are very nimble; it caught the mouse in an instant.
敏捷，。
Tā sī wéi mǐn jié, zài biàn lùn zhōng biǎo xiàn chū sè.
She has a quick mind and performed excellently in the debate.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

敏 and 捷 both mean quick or agile, together describing nimble movement or sharp mind.

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

攴攴pūhand; action

Sound part声符shēngfú

每

每měi敏mǐn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

敏 pairs 每, which gives the sound, with 攴, a hand/action part.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Personality & Traits

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