ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
近
near; close
jìn
7 strokes · 辶 (walking radical) + 斤 (axe, sound jīn→jìn) · HSK 2
What 近 is made of
辶 + 斤 = 近
辶walking (movement)
Where 近 comes from
近 walks 辶 with the axe 斤 lending sound: nearness measured on foot. What's 近 is what you can walk to — the ancient unit of 'close' was your own two feet.
近 in Chinese culture
最近 'most near' means 'recently' — nearness in time. 附近 is the neighborhood, 近视 is nearsightedness. The proverb 远亲不如近邻 says a close neighbor beats a distant relative — proximity is its own kinship.
Example
最近 zuìjìn — recently
我家离公司很近。
Wǒ jiā lí gōngsī hěn jìn.
My home is very close to my company.
How to remember it
Walking 辶 distance — NEAR enough to carry an axe 斤 over.
最近怎么样? 'how have you been recently?' is the standard catch-up opener — Chinese greets you through nearness in time rather than 'what's up'.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 近
最近 zuìjìn
recently
很近 hěn jìn
very close
附近 fùjìn
nearby
Related characters
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