zhēng
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 clang of metal
  2. 2 small gong
  3. 3 (of character) firm and unyielding (in 铮铮)

Examples

Dāo chūqiào, fāchū zhēng de yì shēng jīnshǔ xiǎng.
The blade came out of its sheath with a clear metallic ring.
铁骨铮铮汉子
Tā shì gè tiěgǔ zhēngzhēng de hànzi.
He is a man of iron, firm and upright.

Tips

usage
began as the clang of metal. Doubled in 铮铮 it praises a firm, unbending character, as in 铁骨铮铮 (a backbone of iron).

Components

radical
jīn
metal; gold
The left-side metal radical, compressed form of . is the ringing of metal striking metal, so this radical states the material making the sound.
phonetic
zhēng
to contend; to fight
Pure sound: standalone is zhēng and keeps that reading exactly. The contend meaning does not enter the word, only the pronunciation, paralleling and .

Stroke Order

zhēng