临

臨

lín

verb HSK 7-9 #7,971

Meanings

1 to face
2 to arrive; to be about to
3 on the verge of

Examples

临走前告诉我。

Línzǒu qián gàosu wǒ.

Tell me before you leave.

大敌当临。

Dàdí dāng lín.

A great enemy approaches.

Tips

usage

Often used in compounds: 临时 (temporary), 面临 (to face).

Components

radical

丨 gǔn

vertical stroke

The vertical 丨 stroke on the left side serves as the Kangxi indexing radical for 临. After 1956 simplification cut 臨 down to this 9-stroke form, the residual vertical was kept as the lookup anchor; other pieces fused into the cursive shape and cannot be cleanly named.

ideograph

临 lín

overlook; approach; face

Single fused residue no longer cleanly decomposable in the modern PRC silhouette — treat as one stylized bowed-figure-over-goods shape. Historically simplified from 臨, which depicted a person bending down over goods to inspect them, giving the 'overlook, approach' meaning.

Stroke Order