箴

zhēn

verb

Meanings

1 to admonish; to exhort
2 admonition; maxim

Characters

箴

zhēn

to admonish; maxim

Examples

HSK 6

长者箴他得意时莫骄傲。

Zhǎngzhě zhēn tā déyì shí mò jiāo'ào.

An elder admonished him not to be arrogant when successful.

HSK 7-9

这些箴言今天仍值得铭记。

Zhèxiē zhēnyán jīntiān réng zhídé míngjì.

These words of advice are still worth keeping in mind today.

Tips

usage

Most common in 箴言 (maxim; words of admonition) - also the Chinese title of the biblical Book of Proverbs. It once doubled as a variant of 针 (needle): just as a needle pricks, an admonition is meant to sting you into improving.

Components

radical

⺮ zhú

bamboo

The bamboo top recalls the original sense of a bamboo needle or probe; from 'pricking needle' the meaning extended to a sharp verbal warning.

phonetic

咸 xián

all; salty

Carries the sound: 咸 shifts to zhēn here, the same phonetic seen in 缄.

Stroke Order

箴 zhēn

箴