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紧jǐn

Character evolution

紧

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Shuowen

紧 (jǐn): The character combines the radical 臤 (representing a hand grasping) with the radical 糸 (silk), depicting the act of pulling silk taut to indicate tightness. Found in oracle bone inscriptions, it originally meant “to bind or wind tightly,” as if constraining something with thread. The structure illustrates the tension of silk under grip, hence the extended meanings of firm, strict, or secure.

Pinyin

jǐn· HSK 2