Writing Balance Rule: The left side (工) is narrower and compact, while the right side (页) is slightly wider and taller, balanced harmoniously to prevent the character from leaning.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 頸 combines 巠 (jing) and 月 (flesh/body). In the simplified form 颈, the right side is replaced by 页 (page/head component), which streamlines complex strokes while preserving the phonetic and semantic associations.
1. Meaning
neck
neck-like part of an object (e.g. bottle neck)
NounNeutral#anatomy#body parts
Sample Usage
他的颈子很酸。
tā de jǐng zi hěn suān.
His neck is very sore.
瓶颈
píng jǐng
bottleneck
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕiŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
颈
jǐngjing3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=jǐng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
jing
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
j
Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: like the soft 'g' in 'gin' or 'j' in 'jeep' produced further forward
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches or comes very close to the hard palate, air escapes smoothly with friction.
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
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips down and up, similar to expressing doubtful questioning tone in English ('Really?').
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, jǐng shifts to a Tone 2 rising pitch (35).
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the soft palatal initial j with the retroflex zh or alveolar z. Ensure the ending is a clean nasal -ing.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start medium-high, drop down low to your chest, and sweep back up high.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (工) is narrower and compact, while the right side (页) is slightly wider and taller, balanced harmoniously to prevent the character from leaning.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 頸 combines 巠 (jing) and 月 (flesh/body). In the simplified form 颈, the right side is replaced by 页 (page/head component), which streamlines complex strokes while preserving the phonetic and semantic associations.
4. Components
Radical页 · Page / Head Radical (head, page, facial or head features)
Semantic Clue (形旁):页 (Indicates body part relating to the head and upper torso area)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):工 (original sound: jing)
The character combines 工 (work/construction) on the left as a phonetic clue and 页 (head/page) on the right as a semantic clue indicating the neck supporting the head.
工 phonetic and structural component
页 semantic body/head indicator
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally formed with components representing the body part connecting the head to the torso. Over time, the glyph components standardized into the current left-right phono-semantic structure.
Semantic Evolution: Has consistently referred to the neck of humans and animals, later extended metaphorically to narrow passages or bottlenecks (e.g. 瓶颈).
The right side component 页 evolved from representing human head features, reinforcing anatomical meanings.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ケイ / Kun: くび
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
경
Sound Shift Bridge: Mandarin jǐng corresponds to Sino-Japanese 'Kei'.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine working hard (工) with your head (页) bent all day until your neck gets sore and stiff.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
经
jīngclassic, pass throughReplaces the head radical 页 with the silk thread radical 纟, meaning warp threads or classics.
轻
qīnglight, weightlessUses the vehicle/car radical 车 on the left instead of 工.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
经(jīng)
经 uses 纟 (silk/threads) for text/classics, whereas 颈 uses 页 (head) for the neck.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这个问题成为了我们项目发展的[___]。
Clue: jǐng
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the right-side component with unrelated radicals or mispronouncing the Tone 3 dip.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What is the English meaning of 颈 and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the Chinese character for 'neck' and what is its Pinyin?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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颈jǐngneck
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