紧 (jǐn) — (adjective) tight, tight-fitting (of clothes, shoes, etc.); (adjective) urgent, pressing; short of money, hard up; (verb) to tighten
Definition
紧 (jǐn) covers two main ideas: physically tight (clothes, ropes) and urgent/strained (time, money). Near 近 is only about distance; 急 is more about speed and worry. As a verb, pair with 把 (把绳子紧一下).
adjective
tighttight-fitting (of clothes, shoes, etc.)urgentpressingshort of moneyhard up
verb
to tighten
Examples
- 紧，。Wǒ de kù zi tài jǐn le, zǒu lù bù fāng biàn.My pants are too tight; it's not convenient to walk.
- 紧，。Shí jiān hěn jǐn, wǒ men bì xū kuài diǎn.Time is tight; we must hurry.
- 紧。Qǐng bǎ shéng zi jǐn yí xià.Please tighten the rope a bit.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 緊; 紧 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān緊jǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 緊 pairs 糸 (thread) with 臤 as a sound part; the simplified 紧 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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