吝

lìn
adjective #88,656

Meanings

  1. 1 stingy
  2. 2 miserly
  3. 3 grudging

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā fēicháng lìnsè, yìfēnqián yě shěbude huā.
He is so stingy that he won't even spend a single cent.
HSK 7-9
Qǐng bú lìn cìjiào.
Please do not be grudging with your valuable advice.

Tips

usage
吝 means unwilling to give. The common word is 吝啬 (stingy). The polite phrase 不吝赐教 ('do not grudge your instruction') is a humble way to ask for someone's advice.

Components

radical
口 kǒu
mouth
The mouth radical at the base, the indexing radical. It suggests holding back, mouth shut tight, not letting things out, which matches the grudging, tight-fisted meaning.
phonetic
文 wén
writing; pattern
The top element supplies the sound, wén shifting to lìn. Its 'writing' meaning plays no role here; it works purely as the phonetic part.

Stroke Order

吝 lìn