鼱 (jīng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

鼱

jīng[jing1]Tone 1

shrew

Guru Deep Dive

English · shrew

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:18

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (鼠) is complex and narrow, while the right side (青) provides structural balance; ensure neither side overwhelms the other by keeping horizontal strokes compact.

1. Meaning

shrew (small mammal)

used almost exclusively in the binomial compound word qú-jīng (鼩鼱) meaning shrew

NounFormal / ScientificBound morpheme#animals#mammals#nature

Sample Usage

鼩鼱是一种小型哺乳动物。
qú jīng shì yī zhǒng xiǎo xíng bǔ rǔ dòng wù.
The shrew is a small mammal.
这只鼩鼱在草丛中寻找昆虫。
zhè zhī qú jīng zài cǎo cóng zhōng xún zhǎo kūn chóng.
This shrew is searching for insects in the grass.

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

鼱

jīngjing1

¯(55)

=jīng

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

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: j sound like the 'g' in 'gin'

Unaspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of tongue raised against the hard palate, air released softly with friction.

Final Rhyme

ing

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -ing rhymes with 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 humming a flat note at the top of your speaking range.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with jìn or jìng; ensure the tone is kept high and level (Tone 1) without dipping or dropping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your hand steady and high in the air, matching a flat, high musical note like a soprano singer holding a pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 18 strokes

4. Components

Radical 鼠 · Rat / Mouse Radical (rodent, rat, mouse, small burrowing animals)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 鼠 (Indicates that the character refers to a rodent or small mammal.)

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

The animal classifier radical 鼠 (mouse/rat) combines with the phonetic component 青 (green/clear) to represent a specific type of small, shrew-like rodent.

鼠 Semantic indicator for rodents and small mammals
青 Phonetic indicator providing the sound jīng

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

24· Phonetic Root: 青 (qīng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Formed as a later compound character combining 鼠 (mouse) for category and 青 (qīng) for pronunciation, categorizing obscure small insectivorous mammals.

Semantic Evolution: Has consistently referred to shrews or similar tiny burrowing mammals throughout its recorded lexicographical history.

Characters containing the rat radical (鼠) are often specialized terms for specific rodent or mammal species in Chinese zoological texts.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

A tiny green (青) mouse-like creature (鼠) scurries through the grass—it is a rare shrew (鼱), making a high-pitched sound (jīng).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

青

qīnggreenPhonetic Core (声旁)

请

qǐngplease, to invite, to ask+ 讠 (speech)

情

qíngfeeling, emotion, situation+ 忄 (heart)

晴

qíngclear, fine (weather)+ 日 (sun)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

精(jīng)

精 uses the rice/grain radical (米) meaning essence or spirit, whereas 鼱 uses the rat radical (鼠) referring strictly to the shrew.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这种小动物的名字叫作鼩[___]。

Clue: jīng

Common Learner Pitfall

Mistaking 鼱 for 精 due to identical pronunciation, forgetting that 鼱 is exclusively used in the animal name 鼩鼱.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What animal does the character 鼱 refer to when combined in 鼩鼱?

Production: How do you write the character for the second syllable of qú-jīng (shrew), which features the rat radical?

鼱jīngshrew

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