Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component compact and slightly elevated, while the right component stretches downwards to maintain structural equilibrium.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form '傾' was simplified in modern Chinese to '倾', reducing stroke complexity in the right side while preserving the overall phono-semantic structure.
1. Meaning
to lean or incline
to overturnto collapseto pour out (liquids, feelings, wealth)to tend toward
VerbFormal#movement#emotions#action#physics
Sample Usage
他倾听大家的意见。
Tā qīngtīng dàjiā de yìjiàn.
He listens attentively to everyone's opinions.
倾家荡产
qīng jiā dàng chǎn
to lose one's entire fortune (idiom)
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕʰɪŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
傾
qīngqing1
|
++
¯(55)
=qīng
Initial Consonant
q
Type: Aspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: ch (like ch in cheese, but with tongue blade raised toward hard palate)
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Extremely strong burst of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST fly.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue approaches the hard palate behind the upper teeth, releasing a sharp burst of air.
Final Rhyme
ing
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ing rhymes with sing or ring
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eeng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high at pitch 55, similar to a sustained high note in singing.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing 'qīng' with 'jīng' or 'chīng'. Remember that 'q' is strongly aspirated, unlike 'j' which is unaspirated.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, steady flat line, like a sustained musical note at the top of your vocal range.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component compact and slightly elevated, while the right component stretches downwards to maintain structural equilibrium.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form '傾' was simplified in modern Chinese to '倾', reducing stroke complexity in the right side while preserving the overall phono-semantic structure.
4. Components
Radical亻 · Person radical (human, person)
Semantic Clue (形旁):亻 (Indicates human posture or action involving a person)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):頃 (original sound: qīng)
A person (亻) standing next to a cliff or head-tilting structure (頃) that is about to overturn or lean.
亻 person
頃 phonetic clue and shape representing a tilt or incline
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
2· Phonetic Root: 頃 ()
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally combined the person radical (亻) with a phonetic and pictorial element showing a head tilting to the side (頃), signifying leaning or falling over.
Semantic Evolution: From physically leaning or tilting sideways, the meaning expanded metaphorically to pouring out contents, spending all money, or leaning toward an opinion.
In ancient texts, it often described vessels tipping over or structural collapse.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
khuynh
High level or rising tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponding to Mandarin Tone 1.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ケイ / Kun: かたむ.く
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
경
Sound Shift Bridge: The -ing final in Mandarin regularly corresponds to -ei or -eikei readings in Japanese Sino-readings and khuynh in Vietnamese.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
A person (亻) stands on a slope so steep that they lean (倾) completely to the side, pouring out all their belongings as they fall.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
顷
qǐngching (unit of area) / momentSimplified base form without the person radical, used for measurements.
颖
yǐngingenious / cleverUses grain radical (禾) on top instead of person radical.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
顷(qǐng)
倾 has the person radical (亻) meaning a person leaning; 顷 has a different radical structure and refers to area or a brief moment.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我們在開會時要認真[___]大家的意見。
Clue: qīng tīng
Common Learner Pitfall
Forgetting that 'q' is an aspirated sound and mispronouncing it as a regular English 'k' or unaspirated 'j'.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 倾 mean when combined in verbs like 倾听 or 倾斜?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to lean / to pour out' with Pinyin qīng?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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傾qīngto lean, to overturn, to pour out
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