zhěn
adjective #79,686

Meanings

  1. 1 (archaic) careful; prudent

Examples

Zuòshì jǐnshèn, jiù néng shǎo fàn cuò.
Be careful and prudent in handling matters, and you will make fewer mistakes.

Tips

history
('careful / prudent') is archaic and not used independently in modern Chinese, where the word is 谨慎. Note it has the slim component on the right and is a different character from the look-alike ('a concubine / lady'), which has a wider right side.
mistakes
Do not confuse (zhěn) with (jī). They look almost identical but differ in the right component and have completely different readings and meanings; in Japanese is separately used for 'princess' (hime).

Components

radical
woman
the woman radical is the indexing radical; it does not actively carry the 'prudent' meaning, which rides on the whole character.
phonetic
chén
minister; subject
on the right is the sound-bearing element. Its careful, deferential 'minister' flavor pairs loosely with the meaning 'prudent'.

Stroke Order

zhěn