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精锐 (jīng ruì) — elite, crack, top-notch (of troops, teams, skills, etc.)

Definition

Crack troops / elite force (精锐部队) — military teams picked as the best. Stronger than 优秀: used specifically for hand-picked, combat-ready groups rather than just high-performing individuals.

adjective
elitecracktop-notch (of troops, teams, skills, etc.)

Examples

  • 精锐。
    Zhè zhī bù duì shì quán jūn zuì jīng ruì de.
    This unit is the most elite in the entire military.
  • 精锐。
    Tā men zǔ chéng le yì zhī jīng ruì de kē yán tuán duì.
    They formed a crack scientific research team.
  • ，精锐。
    Jīng guò yán gé xuǎn bá, tā jìn rù le jīng ruì bù duì.
    After rigorous selection, he entered the elite forces.

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jīngfine
锐ruìsharp

精 and 锐 together suggest elite, sharp troops.

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 →

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
Military & Defense

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