驚 (jīng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

驚

jīng[jing1]Tone 1

startle

HSK 4

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惊

Guru Deep Dive

English · startle

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (忄) is narrower and compressed, while the right component (敬) is wider and must be balanced evenly to avoid tipping over.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 驚 features a deer component (鹿) on the upper right and a heart component (攴/心) below. The simplified form replaces the complex deer top with 苟, reducing strokes significantly.

1. Meaning

to startle, to be frightened, to scare, alarm

to amazeto alertto disturb

VerbNeutral#emotions#reactions#psychological states

Sample Usage

这个消息把我吓了一跳。
zhège xiāoxi bǎ wǒ xià le yī tiào.
This news gave me a start.
不要惊动他，让他睡吧。
bùyào jīngdòng tā, ràng tā shuì ba.
Do not disturb him, let him sleep.

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕɪŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

驚

jīngjing1

¯(55)

=jīng

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: j sound like the 'g' in 'gin' or 'j' in 'jeep' but with the tongue tip resting behind the lower front teeth

Unaspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches or is very close to the hard palate, tip resting down

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 is a high, steady pitch, comparable to singing a high note continuously or the flat pitch when saying 'bee' in surprise.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the alveolo-palatal initial j ([t͡ɕ]) with the retroflex zh ([t͡ʂ]) or alveolar z ([t͡s]). Make sure the tongue stays flat and forward behind the lower teeth for j.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A high, flat musical note, like holding a steady high pitch on a keyboard. Hand gesture moves horizontally at upper eye level.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (忄) is narrower and compressed, while the right component (敬) is wider and must be balanced evenly to avoid tipping over.

4. Components

Radical 忄 · Heart Radical (vertical) (emotions, psychological state, feelings)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 忄 (indicates emotions or states of the heart/mind)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 敬 (original sound: jìng)

The heart radical (忄) on the left provides the emotional feeling of fear or shock, while the right component (敬) provides both the pronunciation hint and the background idea of respect or awe.

忄 heart / emotion
敬 respectful / alert (phonetic & semantic clue)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

6· Phonetic Root: 敬 (jìng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed to depict a state of the heart reacting with sudden awe or fear, combining the heart radical with a phonetic element indicating being alert or stiff with attention.

Semantic Evolution: From an original sense of being struck with awe or respectful fright, it evolved to mean startled, frightened, or alarmed in general.

In classical texts, it frequently implied being struck with sudden royal or divine awe.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

kinh

Mandarin high level tone corresponds to Vietnamese ngang tone.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: キョウ / Kun: おどろ.く

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

경

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Your HEART (忄) is startled and skips a beat when you see someone you RESPECT (敬) sneaking up behind you with a loud noise.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

惊

jīngstartleHeart radical + respect = startled emotion

敬

jìngrespectWithout heart radical, it means respect or honor

境

jìngborder, boundaryDirt/earth radical + respect = physical boundary line

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

京(jīng)

京 means capital (as in 北京), lacking the heart radical (忄).

静(jìng)

静 means quiet, using the qing (青) component instead of jing (敬).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

這個突如其來的消息把大家都[___]到了。

Clue: jīng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right-hand component 敬 with similar phonetic parts like 青, leading to spelling errors in handwriting.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 惊 mean, and what emotion does its left radical point to?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to startle' (jīng) using the heart radical and the phonetic component?

驚jīngstartle

Speed:

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