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宁

寧
níng
adjective #9,024

Meanings

  1. 1 peaceful; tranquil; calm
  2. 2 would rather (when pronounced nìng)

Examples

夜晚很安宁。
Yèwǎn hěn ānníng.
The night is very peaceful.
我宁愿走路也不坐车。
Wǒ nìngyuàn zǒulù yě bù zuòchē.
I would rather walk than take the bus.

Tips

usage
安宁 (ānníng) = peaceful. 宁静 (níngjìng) = tranquil. When pronounced nìng: 宁愿 (nìngyuàn) = would rather. Also a place name: 南宁 (Nánníng).

Components

radical
宀 mián
roof (radical)
Top roof radical — pictograph of a building's roof with side walls dropping. The indexing radical, anchoring 宁 in the home-and-shelter family alongside 安 (peace under roof), 家 (family under roof), 室 (chamber). The roof carries the 'peaceful, settled' sense at the heart of 宁.
phonetic
丁 dīng
nail; man
Bottom 丁 supplies the sound dīng → níng through historical drift. Pure phonetic in the simplified form; the traditional 寧 packed in 心 (heart) and 皿 (vessel) under the roof for 'heart settled at home.' The 1956 reform stripped everything but the roof and the phonetic skeleton.

Stroke Order

宁 níng