珉

mín
noun #20,922

Meanings

  1. 1 jade-like stone
  2. 2 alabaster

Examples

HSK 1
Tā de míngzi lǐ yǒu yí ge mín zì.
Her name contains the character 珉.
HSK 7-9
Mín shí de wàiguān yǔ yù xiāngsì, dàn jiàzhí jiào dī.
Jade-like stone (min) resembles jade in appearance but is of lower value.

Tips

usage
珉 is a classical term for a stone that resembles jade but is not true jade. It is rarely used in modern everyday speech and appears mainly in names and literary or historical contexts. The jade radical 王 (玉) in 珉 indicates its connection to precious stones.

Components

radical
王 wáng
jade (radical form of 玉)
Four-stroke jade radical on the left, side form of 玉 (lower dot dropped in compounds). 珉 names a stone resembling jade but of lesser quality - a green or white mineral once worn in place of true jade. Groups with 玛 agate, 珊 coral, 珍 precious, 璧 jade disc.
phonetic
民 mín
people; populace
Right side 民 supplies the sound - mín read straight across. Pure phonetic role. Same phonetic drives 岷 a Sichuan mountain, 抿 to press lips, 泯 to vanish - all keeping the mín reading. 珉 is the kind of stone the common people might wear in place of jade.

Stroke Order

珉 mín