镇 (zhèn) — (noun) small town; (verb) to suppress, subdue, calm; to guard, garrison; (verb) to cool or chill (food or drinks)
Definition
镇 (zhèn) as a noun is a 'small town' (between a village and a city). As a verb, 镇 means 'to calm/suppress' (like 镇住 the crowd) — a broader sense than 制服, which specifically means subduing by force.
noun
small town
verb
to suppresssubduecalmto guardgarrisonto cool or chill (food or drinks)
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 镇。Zhè ge zhèn hěn ān jìng.This small town is very quiet.
- ，。Tā dà shēng shuō huà, xiǎng zhèn zhù dà jiā.He spoke loudly, trying to calm everyone down.
- ，镇镇。Zhè bēi shuǐ tài rè le, zhèn yi zhèn zài hē.This glass of water is too hot; let it cool down before drinking.
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 鎮; 镇 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 鎮 uses 金, metal, and 真, which gave its sound; it depicted pressing down with a metal weight. The simplified 镇 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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