睛 (jīng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

睛

jīng[jing1]Tone 1

eye

HSK 2

Guru Deep Dive

English · eye

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (目) is narrower, while the right component (青) is wider and carries more complex horizontal lines. Keep them balanced side by side without letting them merge.

1. Meaning

eye

eyeballvision centre

NounNeutralBound morpheme#body parts#anatomy#senses

Sample Usage

眼睛
yǎnjīng
eyes
画龙点睛
huà lóng diǎn jīng
to add the finishing touch (lit. paint the dragon and dot the eyes)

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

睛

jīngjing1

¯(55)

=jīng

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: j sound as in 'jeep'

Unaspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches the hard palate, releasing gently with friction.

Final Rhyme

ing

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -ing rhymes with 'ring' or 'sing'

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 is a high, steady pitch comparable to a sustained musical note or a flat electronic tone.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse it with 'jìn' (Tone 4) or 'jǐng' (Tone 3). Ensure the pitch stays completely flat and high without dipping or dropping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A high, flat, sustained musical note sung at the top of your normal speaking range, accompanied by a steady, level horizontal sweep of your hand.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

4. Components

Radical 目 · Eye radical (Eye)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 目 (Indicates that the meaning is related to the eye.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 青 (original sound: qīng)

The eye character (目) combines with the phonetic and color component 'blue/green' (青) to form '睛' (eyeball/eye), suggesting the colorful or clear part of the eye.

目 Eye (semantic clue)
青 Qīng (phonetic clue)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

20· Phonetic Root: 青 (qīng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Formed by combining the semantic radical 目 (eye) with 青 (qīng, representing color or clarity), pointing to the clear, colored part of the eye.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to the pupil or iris of the eye, later broadening to describe the eye as a whole, especially in compounds like 眼睛 (yǎnjīng).

In classical texts, '目' referred to the whole eye structure, while '睛' specifically highlighted the eyeball or iris.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

tinh

High level tone matching Mandarin Tone 1.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: セイ (sei) / Kun: ひとみ (hitomi)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

정

Sound Shift Bridge: The -ing ending preserves the ancient nasal coda well across East Asian borrowed readings.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use your EYE (目) to look at the lush, BLUE-GREEN (青) scenery sparkling in the spring.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

请

qǐngto inviteAdd speech radical (讠) for inviting words.

情

qíngemotion/feelingAdd heart radical (忄) for feelings.

晴

qíngsunnyAdd sun radical (日) for sunny weather.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

睛(jīng)

睛 has 目 (eye) because it relates to vision and eyeballs.

晴(qíng)

晴 has 日 (sun) because it means sunny weather.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

她的[___]很大，非常漂亮。

Clue: yǎn jīng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing '睛' (eye) with '晴' (sunny) or '情' (feeling) because they all share the same phonetic component '青'. Always check the left radical!

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 睛 mean and what is its radical?

Production: How do you write the character for 'eyeball/eye' (jīng) using components?

睛jīngeye

Speed:

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