Definitions

jiā (verb) to press from either side; to sandwich; to wedge between; to place in between
jiā (verb) to carry under armpit
jiā (verb) to mix; to mingle
jiá (adjective) double-layered; lined (of garments)

Etymology

Simplified form of . Pictograph of a person () being pushed by people on both sides.

About

The character "夹", with its traditional form "夾", originates from an early ideographic representation of a person being held between two others, conveying the core idea of being pressed or sandwiched. Structurally, the traditional form explicitly combines "大", representing a person, with two "人" components on each side to depict this enclosure, leading to initial meanings related to physical clamping, pinching, or carrying under the arm. Over time, its semantic range expanded from these concrete actions to include abstract concepts such as involvement, participation, and the act of mixing or interposing. The simplified form "夹" retains the fundamental conceptual structure while streamlining the graphical elements, and its applications in modern compounds continue to reflect these evolved meanings, such as in terms for a clip, a folder, or to insert.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

子把头发住。

Yòng jiāzi bǎ tóufa jiā zhù.

Use a clip to hold the hair in place.

他把文件在书里。

Tā bǎ wénjiàn jiā zài shū lǐ.

He sandwiched the document inside the book.

这个三明治里着火腿和奶酪。

Zhège sānmíngzhì lǐ jiāzhe huǒtuǐ hé nǎilào.

This sandwich has ham and cheese inside.

他把钱在笔记本中。

Tā bǎ qián jiā zài bǐjìběn zhōng.

He put the money between the pages of his notebook.

妈妈用筷子给我菜。

Māma yòng kuàizi gěi wǒ jiā cài.

Mom used chopsticks to pick up food for me.

他在两栋高楼间的道中穿行。

Tā zài liǎng dòng gāolóu jiān de jiā dào zhōng chuānxíng.

He walked through the narrow alley between the two tall buildings.

他的语气里杂着一丝失望。

Tā de yǔqì lǐ jiāzázhe yī sī shīwàng.

His tone carried a trace of disappointment.

小公司在大企业的缝中求生存。

Xiǎo gōngsī zài dà qǐyè de jiāfèng zhōng qiú shēngcún.

Small companies struggle to survive in the narrow gaps between large enterprises.