Definitions
(noun)
well; water well
(adjective)
neat; orderly
Etymology
Pictograph of the opening of a water well.
About
The character "井" originated as a pictogram representing a well, with its form depicting the wooden framework typically surrounding a wellhead, which evolved into the modern structure of two horizontal and two vertical strokes. Its core meaning of a water well extended to any similar excavation, such as a mine shaft, and further to concepts of orderly arrangement, like a street grid, due to the visual analogy of its squared shape. This character also serves as a surname and appears in compounds conveying notions of systematic organization.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
村子里有一口井。
井水非常清澈。
他从井里打水。
井口用石头围着。
早晨人们聚在井边。
这口井已经干涸多年。
因为干旱，井水下降了很多。
工人们正在挖掘一口新的矿井。