jǐn
tight; close; urgent; strict
他把绳子绑得很紧。
tā bǎ shénɡ zǐ bǎnɡ dé hěn jǐn .
He ties the rope very tightly.
时间很紧。
shí jiān hěn jǐn .
Time is tight.
他们把女儿看得很紧。
tā men bǎ nǚ ér kàn dé hěn jǐn .
They watch their daughter very closely.
松 (sōng)
loose
宽 (kuān)
wide
Track your progress, master characters, and achieve your Chinese language goals.
Get Started Free
The Chinese character 紧 (jǐn) is composed of two parts: 纟 (jǐn) and 巾 (jīn). 纟 is a pictograph of a piece of cloth, while 巾 is a pictograph of a headcloth. Together, they form the character 紧, which means "tight" or "close".The original meaning of 紧 was "to bind or tie tightly". This meaning can still be seen in the modern Chinese word 紧身衣 (jǐnshēnyī), which means "tight-fitting clothes". Over time, the meaning of 紧 has expanded to include "close" or "near". For example, the Chinese word 紧邻 (jǐnlín) means "close to" or "adjacent to".The character 紧 can also be used in a figurative sense. For example, the Chinese word 紧迫 (jǐnpò) means "urgent" or "pressing". This meaning can be traced back to the original meaning of 紧 as "to bind or tie tightly". When something is urgent, it is as if it is tied tightly and cannot be delayed.The character 紧 is a common character in Chinese. It is used in a variety of words and phrases, and it is an important character to learn for HSK learners.
