jīng
noun HSK 7-9 #2,317

Meanings

  1. 1 classics; scriptures
  2. 2 to pass through; to experience
  3. 3 to manage; constant

Examples

Wǒ yǐjīng chī le.
I have already eaten.
Tā yǒu hěnduō jīngyàn.
He has a lot of experience.

Tips

usage
is extremely productive: 已经 (yǐjīng, already), 经常 (jīngcháng, often), 经验 (jīngyàn, experience), 经济 (jīngjì, economy), 经过 (jīngguò, to pass through), 经理 (jīnglǐ, manager), 经典 (jīngdiǎn, classic).
grammar
已经 (yǐjīng...le) is the standard way to express 'already': 已经完了 (I've already finished).

Components

radical
silk thread (radical form)
Left silk radical (the contracted form of ) — the indexing radical. originally meant the warp threads on a loom (the lengthwise threads that don't move). From 'warp' came 'main thread, governing principle, classic text' and 'to pass through.' Pairs with its complement (weft).
phonetic
jīng
underground stream (contracted from 巠)
Right side is the simplified form of (jīng), the original phonetic in . The PRC reform stylised the upper portion into a -like shape, so the modern element looks identical to standalone (shèng, sage) but is actually a contracted 5-stroke form of the fuller traditional 7-stroke — different glyph history. Phonetic family in traditional: , , , — all jīng/qīng readings.

Stroke Order

jīng