近 from HSK Level 2 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 近 (jìn) is composed of two parts: the radical 辶 (chuò), which represents movement or walking, and the phonetic component 斤 (jīn), which represents the sound. The original meaning of 近 was "to approach" or "to come near". Over time, it has acquired a broader range of meanings, including "close", "recent", "near in time or space", and "intimate".The character 近 is first attested in oracle bone script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing. In oracle bone script, 近 is written as a pictograph of a person walking towards a house. This pictograph clearly illustrates the original meaning of "to approach" or "to come near".In modern Chinese, 近 is still commonly used in its original sense of "to approach" or "to come near". For example, we can say 我走近他 (wǒ zǒu jìn tā), which means "I walked up to him". 近 can also be used to mean "close" or "near in time or space". For example, we can say 他住得很近 (tā zhù dé hěn jìn), which means "He lives very close".In addition to its literal meanings, 近 can also be used in a more figurative sense. For example, we can say 我们很亲近 (wǒmen hěn qīn jìn), which means "We are very close (intimate)". 近 can also be used to mean "recent". For example, we can say 最近很忙 (zuì jìn hěn máng), which means "I've been very busy recently".The character 近 is a versatile character with a rich history and a wide range of meanings. It is an essential character for HSK learners to master.