锐 (ruì) · sharp, keen, acute

Meanings

1 sharp
2 keen
3 acute
4 pointed
5 vigorous

Characters

锐

ruì

sharp; acute; keen

Examples

HSK 6

他的目光锐利，什么都逃不过他的眼睛。

Tā de mùguāng ruìlì, shénme dōu táo bùguò tā de yǎnjing.

His gaze is sharp - nothing escapes his eyes.

HSK 7-9

他们的军队锐不可当，所向披靡。

Tāmen de jūnduì ruìbùkědāng, suǒxiàngpīmǐ.

Their army was unstoppable, sweeping all before them.

Tips

usage

Key compounds: 锐利 (sharp/incisive), 尖锐 (sharp/pointed/acute), 锐气 (fighting spirit/drive), 锐不可当 (unstoppable, lit. 'sharp beyond blocking').

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal (radical form of 金)

Left-side metal radical, the simplified five-stroke form of 金. The indexing radical - 锐 is sharpness, the keen cutting edge of a metal blade. Family of metal/weapon characters: 剑 sword, 刃 blade, 钢 steel, 银 silver, 钉 nail. Modern senses extend to 'acute, perceptive' (敏锐), keeping the blade-edge metaphor.

phonetic

兑 duì

exchange; convert

Right side 兑 supplies the sound: duì → ruì, a d/r drift attested in older readings. 兑 depicts a person with an open mouth (八 + 兄), and was one of the eight trigrams meaning 'joy / opening.' Same phonetic family: 说 to speak, 脱 to escape, 阅 to read, 悦 happy.