jiè
verb #5,702

Meanings

  1. 1 to introduce; to be situated between
  2. 2 shell; armor

Examples

Qǐng nǐ jièshào yīxià zìjǐ.
Please introduce yourself.
Nǐ jièyì ma?
Do you mind?

Tips

usage
is mainly seen in compounds: 介绍 (to introduce), 介意 (to mind), 中介 (intermediary/agent), 介入 (to intervene). It is not commonly used on its own.

Components

radical
rén
person
Top indexing person radical (Kangxi #9) — frontal stance of a standing figure. Carries the meaning core: a was originally a person standing between two armoured plates (the lower strokes), so 'situated between' is the action of the figure. Same radical anchors , , , — all human-position characters.
ideograph
gǔn
vertical strokes (armour plates / shells)
Bottom two short verticals — abstract markers depicting the two armour plates strapped to the front and back of the figure above. The original was a soldier in mail; from 'enclosed in armour' came 'shell' and 'situated between' (sandwiched between plates). Pure ideograph role: these are positional indicators, not freestanding characters.

Stroke Order

jiè