Definitions

jīn (noun) lapel; collar; front of garment
jīn (verb) to cherish (ambitions, feelings) in one's heart

Etymology

Cloth  that restricts  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 襟 (jīn) is a phono-semantic compound. Its left side features the clothing radical 衤 (yī), which connects it to garments and textiles. The right component, 禁 (jìn), provides the pronunciation but not the meaning. Literally, 襟 refers to the overlapping front part of a traditional Chinese robe, the lapel or collar area where it fastens across the chest. As this part covers the heart, the character also figuratively represents a person’s inner thoughts, feelings, and breadth of mind.

Example Sentences Hide

她的衣很整洁。

Tā de yījīn hěn zhěngjié.

Her lapel is very neat.

他整理了一下衣

Tā zhěnglǐ le yīxià yījīn.

He straightened his lapel.

他的胸很宽广。

Tā de xiōngjīn hěn kuānguǎng.

His mind is very broad.

他们是连关系。

Tāmen shì liánjīn guānxì.

They are brothers-in-law.

飞机翼已经展开。

Fēijī jīnyì yǐjīng zhǎnkāi.

The aircraft flaps have been deployed.

她用手轻轻抚平衣

Tā yòng shǒu qīngqīng fǔpíng yījīn.

She gently smoothed her lapel with her hand.

他的怀坦白令人敬佩。

Tā de jīnhuái tǎnbái lìngrén jìngpèi.

His open-mindedness is admirable.

在困难面前,他展现了广阔的胸

Zài kùnnan miànqián, tā zhǎnxiàn le guǎngkuò de xiōngjīn.

In the face of difficulties, he demonstrated a broad mind.