紧 (jǐn): tight; taut

Meanings

1 tight; taut
2 tense; urgent
3 strict; stringent

Characters

紧

jǐn

tight; urgent; tense

Contains 糸 (silk radical) - silk pulled tight.

Examples

HSK 1

时间很紧。

Shíjiān hěn jǐn.

Time is tight.

HSK 3

这条裤子太紧了。

Zhè tiáo kùzi tài jǐn le.

These pants are too tight.

HSK 7-9

你抓紧绳子！

Nǐ zhuājǐn shéngzi!

Hold the rope tight!

Tips

usage

不要紧 (bú yào jǐn) is a very common expression meaning 'it doesn't matter / no problem.'

grammar

紧 as a complement: 抓紧 (hold tight), 绑紧 (tie tight), 关紧 (close tightly).

Components

radical

糸 mì

silk; cord

Bottom silk-radical 糸 (full sitting-on-the-bottom form, not contracted 纟) - the indexing radical. The original referent was a silk cord pulled tight, then generalised to any tightness. Same silk-radical anchors 系 (tie), 索 (rope), 缝 (sew).

semantic

又 yòu

hand; again

Top fused unit - simplified from traditional 緊's upper element 臤 (hand 又 grasping under watching eye 臣). The PRC reform absorbed the elaborate 臣 into the hand-shape; what remains is a 又-silhouette expanded to 4 strokes (standalone 又 has just 2 strokes - 丿+㇏). The kinetic image of a hand pulling something taut is preserved - gripping firmly to set up the cord-tightening below.