紧 (jǐn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

紧

jǐn[jin3]Tone 3

tight, strict, urgent

HSK 3

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緊

Guru Deep Dive

English · tight, strict, urgent

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the upper part (臣 and 夂) compressed and balanced over the bottom string component (丝 simplified as 糸/糹 style base), ensuring vertical alignment.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 緊 contains the full 絲 (silk) component at the bottom, which was simplified into a smaller radical base in the modern simplified form 紧.

1. Meaning

tight or firm

strict or rigorousurgent or pressingshort of money or scarce

AdjectiveNeutral#physical state#urgency#economics

Sample Usage

这件衣服太紧了。
Zhè jiàn yīfu tài jǐn le.
This piece of clothing is too tight.
时间很紧，我们得快点。
Shíjiān hěn jǐn, wǒmen děi kuài diǎn.
Time is very tight; we need to hurry up.

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕin²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

紧

jǐnjin3

ˇ(214)

=jǐn

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: j like the sound in 'jeep' but produced further forward with the blade of the tongue

Unaspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue presses gently against the back of the upper teeth and alveolar ridge

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -in rhymes with 'seen'

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

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

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low like a hesitant 'Hmm?' in English.

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, jǐn changes to a Tone 2 rising pitch (35).

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the palatal jǐn with the retroflex zhǐn; make sure the tongue touches behind the lower teeth for j rather than curling back.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid-high pitch, dip down toward the lowest point of your vocal range, and then rise smoothly back up, tracing a V-shape in the air with your hand.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the upper part (臣 and 夂) compressed and balanced over the bottom string component (丝 simplified as 糸/糹 style base), ensuring vertical alignment.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 緊 contains the full 絲 (silk) component at the bottom, which was simplified into a smaller radical base in the modern simplified form 紧.

4. Components

Radical 纟 · Silk Radical (silk, thread, textiles)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 纟 (Indicates the original sense of binding or tying threads tightly.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 坚 (original sound: jiān)

The character combines the silk radical (纟) on the left or wrapped around a core, with a phonetic/semantic top structure derived from firm things (坚), representing threads pulled so hard they are firm and tight.

坚 Provides phonetic and structural framework meaning firm/solid
纟 Silk thread component indicating tension or binding

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally created as a phono-semantic compound where a strong, solid element (坚) was combined with silk threads (糸) to denote a knot or rope pulled taut.

Semantic Evolution: Over time, the core meaning expanded from physical rope tension (tight) to abstract constraints like strict rules, urgency in time, and financial scarcity.

In classical texts, it frequently described armor laced tightly for battle or bowstrings pulled to maximum tension.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

khẩn

The rising tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to the dipping Tone 3 in Mandarin.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: キン (kin) / Kun: かた.い (kata.i), しめ.る (shime.ru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

긴

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine tying silk threads (纟) around a firm wooden stake (坚) so tightly that the knot cannot possibly slip.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

坚

jiānfirm, hardWithout the silk radical, it means solid or hard.

铿

kēngclanking soundReplaces the top/left with metal (钅) for metallic clanking.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

坚(jiān)

坚 means hard/solid without the silk thread radical (纟).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这根绳子绑得太[___]了，解不开。

Clue: jǐn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing Tone 3 dipping contour with Tone 4 when speaking quickly, turning jǐn into a sharp falling command.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 紧, what English adjectives come to mind regarding physical tension or schedule pressure?

Production: How do you write the character for 'tight/urgent' (jǐn) using the silk radical and the firm component?

紧jǐntight, strict, urgent

Speed:

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