劲 (jìng): stalwart; sturdy

Meanings

1 stalwart; sturdy
2 strong; powerful; vigorous
3 (of wind, growth, momentum) robust; forceful

Characters

劲

jìng

stalwart; sturdy

Examples

中国经济增长势头强劲。

Zhōngguó jīngjì zēngzhǎng shìtóu qiángjìng.

China's economy is showing strong growth momentum.

他们在决赛中遇到了劲敌。

Tāmen zài juésài zhōng yùdào le jìngdí.

They met a formidable opponent in the final.

劲风突起，卷起了尘土。

Jìngfēng tūqǐ, juǎnqǐ le chéntǔ.

A strong wind rose suddenly, kicking up the dust.

Tips

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The jìng reading is the literary / formal one — used as an attributive adjective meaning 'sturdy, powerful, forceful': 强劲 (strong, robust), 劲敌 (formidable rival), 劲风 (strong wind), 劲松 (sturdy pine), 劲草 (tough grass — figuratively a steadfast person), 劲旅 (elite contingent). In everyday speech use the jìn reading; jìng appears mostly in fixed compounds and written prose.

memory

Both readings share the same character 劲 — energy via 力 (force). The colloquial jìn is the verb-friendly 'strength to do something' (使劲 push hard); the literary jìng is the adjective-friendly 'inherently strong' (a sturdy pine, a stiff wind). Spoken speech leans jìn; written prose leans jìng.

Components

radical

力 lì

strength; power

Right radical 力 (strength) anchors 劲 to the family of force-words. The pictograph originally depicted a plough or a flexed arm; from there it gives 劲 its core meaning of energy, vigor, knack, force. Same radical groups 劲 with 加 (add force), 助 (help), 努 (strive), 勇 (brave) — all about how strength is applied.

phonetic

巠 jīng

underground watercourse

Left phonetic 巠 supplies the sound — jīng shifted to jìn through vowel and tone change, the same drift that gives 颈 (neck) and 径 (path). 劲's left side is the contracted 5-stroke form (standalone 巠 has 7 strokes), the same shortened shape on the left of 颈, 经, 径.