襟 (jīn) · lapel, front of a Chinese gown

Meanings

1 lapel
2 front of a Chinese gown
3 bosom, mind, heart (figurative)

Characters

襟

jīn

lapel; bosom

Examples

HSK 5

他擦了擦衣襟上的灰。

Tā cā le cā yījīn shàng de huī.

He brushed the dust off the front of his clothes.

HSK 7-9

她胸襟开阔，从不计较小事。

Tā xiōngjīn kāikuò, cóngbù jìjiào xiǎoshì.

She is broad-minded and never frets about small things.

Tips

memory

Cloth radical 衤 plus 禁 (forbid, 'jìn'-like sound) gives the meaning 'lapel'. Most often you'll see 襟 inside compounds: 衣襟 (front of the garment), 胸襟 (bosom/breadth of mind), 襟怀 (heart, aspirations).

Components

radical

衤 yī

clothing (radical form of 衣)

Side-clothing radical on the left - compressed form of 衣 used for wearable things (衫 shirt, 袖 sleeve, 袍 robe, 裤 trousers). Marks 襟 as a specific part of a garment: the front flap or lapel of a traditional Chinese gown where the two sides cross over the chest.

phonetic

禁 jìn

to forbid; to restrain (here phonetic)

Right 禁 supplies the sound - jìn to jīn, only a tone change. The 'forbid, restrain' meaning has a faint visual link: the lapel is the part of the gown holding the front closed, restraining inner clothing from showing. Same phonetic family includes 噤 (silenced) - all jin-readings.