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镇定 (zhèn dìng) — calm, composed, unperturbed

Definition

镇定 focuses on staying composed under pressure or threat; 冷静 is calmer and more rational, while 沉着 is steadier and more reliable.

calmcomposedunperturbed

Examples

  • ，镇定。
    Yù dào wēi xiǎn shí, tā biǎo xiàn dé fēi cháng zhèn dìng.
    He behaved very calmly when encountering danger.
  • ，镇定。
    Tā shēn xī yì kǒu qì, nǔ lì ràng zì jǐ zhèn dìng xià lái.
    She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
  • ，镇定。
    Zài tán pàn zhōng, tā shǐ zhōng bǎo chí zhe zhèn dìng de tài dù.
    He maintained a calm attitude throughout the negotiation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

镇zhèncalm
定dìngstable

镇 and 定 both convey calm and stability, giving a sense of being composed.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鎮; 镇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn鎮zhèn
Same sound today

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.

Open 镇 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng定dìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

定 is built from 宀 and 正, with 正 supplying the sound.

Open 定 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & FeelingsPersonality & Traits

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