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敏锐 (mǐn ruì) — keen; sharp; acute

Definition

Used for mental sharpness — keen perception, insight, or awareness. Pairs with 眼光 / 嗅觉 / 洞察力, unlike 锋利 (blades/remarks) or 灵敏 (senses/reactions).

adjective
keensharpacute

Examples

  • 敏锐。
    Tā de xiù jué fēi cháng mǐn ruì.
    His sense of smell is very acute.
  • 敏锐。
    Zhè wèi jì zhě de wèn tí fēi cháng mǐn ruì.
    This reporter's questions are very sharp.
  • 敏锐。
    Tā yǐ mǐn ruì de shì chǎng yǎn guāng ér wén míng.
    She is known for her keen market insight.

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mǐnsensitive
锐ruìsharp

敏 adds sensitivity and 锐 sharpness, together meaning keen and acute.

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.

Open 敏 →

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 6Personality & Traits

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