盡 (jìn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

盡

jìn[jin4]Tone 4

to use up, to exhaust, to the utmost

HSK 3

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尽

Guru Deep Dive

English · to use up, to exhaust, to the utmost

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: The top component should crown the structure gracefully, while the bottom elements (the brush and fire/container elements) spread evenly to maintain a stable, centered base.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 盡 contains multiple complex strokes depicting hands holding a brush over a vessel being washed clean. The simplified form 尽 streamlines the upper element and simplifies the lower base into a cleaner set of strokes.

1. Meaning

to use up or exhaust completely

to the utmost limitto finish or endentirely / all

verb / adverbNeutral#action#completion#extent

Sample Usage

尽力
jìn lì
to strive to the limit of one's ability
应有尽有
yīng yǒu jìn yǒu
to have everything one could possibly wish for

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕin˥˩]/Tone: 51

盡

jìnjin4

`(51)

=jìn

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: j sound as in 'jean'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches the hard palate behind the front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -in rhymes with 'in'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'een'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, just like a sharp command of 'No!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the retroflex zhìn with the alveolar palatal jìn. Here it is a smooth palatal j sound, like the g in 'gin'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 is a sharp downward slash like an axe chopping wood, matching a firm drop in pitch from high to low.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component should crown the structure gracefully, while the bottom elements (the brush and fire/container elements) spread evenly to maintain a stable, centered base.

4. Components

Radical 尸 · Corpse / Awning Radical (body, roof, or shelter structure)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 火 (indicates burning or complete consumption down to ashes)

A person under a roof (尸) holds a brush to clean out a vessel until nothing is left, or uses fire (灬) until everything is burned to the limit.

尸 top shelter or body component
禸 track or enclosed space
灬 fire dots at the base representing consumption

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 盡 ()

5. History

Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Originally depicted hands washing out a wine vessel with a brush until every last drop was gone, later extended to mean using up or exhausting completely.

Semantic Evolution: From rinsing a container clean to exhausting resources, reaching limits, and finishing completely.

In classical texts, it frequently appears as an adverb meaning 'completely' or 'all'.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

tận

The entering/sharp tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds well to the abrupt closing of Tone 4.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ジン (jin) / Kun: つ.くす (tsukusu), つ.きる (tsukiru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

진

Sound Shift Bridge: The -in rhyme and palatal initial mirror parallel developments in East Asian lexical borrowing.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You stand under the roof (尸), scrub every track clean, and burn the rest with fire (灬) until your energy is completely EXHAUSTED (jìn).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

进

jìnto enterAdds the movement radical 辶 to mean moving forward to enter.

近

jìnnearAdds the movement radical 辶 to indicate a short distance or closeness.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

进(jìn)

进 has the walking radical 辶 (to enter/advance), whereas 尽 has the corpse/roof and fire base (to exhaust/finish).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我們應該把盤子裡的菜吃[___]。

Clue: jìn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone 4 falling pitch with tone 3 dipping pitch, or mixing up the character structure with 进.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 尽 mean when you see it in 尽力 (jìn lì)?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to use up / exhaust' (jìn) with 7 strokes?

盡jìnto use up, to exhaust, to the utmost

Speed:

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