玲

líng

adjective #13,521

Meanings

1 tinkling (of jade or gems)
2 ting-a-ling

Characters

玲

líng

tinkling of jade

Examples

HSK 1

她的名字叫小玲。

Tā de míngzi jiào Xiǎolíng.

Her name is Xiaoling.

HSK 7-9

玲珑剔透的玉器非常珍贵。

Línglóng-tītòu de yùqì fēicháng zhēnguì.

Exquisitely delicate jade artefacts are very precious.

Tips

usage

玲 is rarely used alone - it appears mostly in compounds like 玲珑 ('exquisite; delicate') and as a very popular element in female names. The 王 (jade) radical signals its connection to jade and precious stones.

Components

radical

王 yù

jade (left-side radical form of 玉)

Left-side jade radical (Kangxi #96) - visually identical to 王 'king' but historically the side form of 玉 jade, missing the bottom dot. Carries the meaning: 玲 names the clear chiming sound of jade pendants. Same indexing radical as 玉 jade, 珠 pearl, 琴 lute, 环 ring.

phonetic

令 lìng

command; cause to (here phonetic)

Right side 令 supplies the sound - lìng → líng with tone shift only. The 'command' meaning is not active; 令 is a pure phonetic. Same phonetic family: 铃 bell, 零 zero, 龄 age, 岭 ridge, 凌 to rise above - a tight líng / lìng cluster.

Stroke Order

玲 líng

玲