干净

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 干净 (gān jìng) means "clean" or "tidy". It is composed of two characters: 干 (gān), which means "dry", and 净 (jìng), which means "pure". The combination of these two characters suggests the idea of something that is both dry and pure, which is often associated with cleanliness.The character 干 (gān) is derived from the oracle bone script, which is the earliest known form of Chinese writing. In the oracle bone script, the character 干 is depicted as a person holding a stick or a spear. This suggests that the original meaning of 干 was "to hold" or "to grasp". Over time, the meaning of 干 evolved to include the idea of "dryness", as something that is held or grasped is often dry.The character 净 (jìng) is also derived from the oracle bone script. In the oracle bone script, the character 净 is depicted as a person standing in a stream of water. This suggests that the original meaning of 净 was "to wash" or "to cleanse". Over time, the meaning of 净 evolved to include the idea of "purity", as something that is washed or cleansed is often pure.The combination of the characters 干 (gān) and 净 (jìng) in the word 干净 (gān jìng) suggests the idea of something that is both dry and pure, which is often associated with cleanliness. This is why 干净 is used to mean "clean" or "tidy" in Chinese.